


Two In A Million

by Thursday26



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Batfam?, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, M/M, Oral Sex, Season 2, Tags to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2020-06-09 13:15:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 42,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19476658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thursday26/pseuds/Thursday26
Summary: Dick, Wally, and Artemis are in a relationship prior to Invasion. Explores how the relationship works with Wally and Artemis being in retirement and Artemis' undercover mission. A canon-compliant behind-the-scenes fic. From Salvage to Endgame.Season 2 spoilers.#TIAM26





	1. Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is an experimental fic for me. I've never done anything like this before, but bear with me? 
> 
> this is a canon compliant fic for season 2 of YJ. As far as I know, there are no season 3 spoilers and I currently haven't seen any of the new episodes that have just started being released again... I don't want to retell episodes, so for the most part, this will be telling the story between episodes... it can't be avoided, especially when it comes to later chapters, but i want to focus on the relationships more... okay i'm rambling... tags will continue to be added, as well as characters as this goes, but the first few chapters are just... fun for me :)
> 
> because it is canon compliant heed the time stamps! im not sure if i should tell you which episodes this chapter is about.... just let me know! I think there's enough information in the chapter so you don't need it, but again, if you feel it's necessary just leave a comment or send me a [ tweet](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26)

[FEB 13, 2230 EST: BLÜDHAVEN]

“So,” Dick says, opening the door to his apartment, Wally following close behind, “that was a disaster.” He’s sure he could have snuck into his apartment unnoticed, but with Wally following him, he decided to change into civilian clothes at the zeta tube. After all, Wally has retired from the life. Or he claims to be retired–but he still has full authorization to the zeta network, and he knows that Wally still has an earpiece for emergencies. Dick doesn’t expect Wally to completely cut ties with him, they’re best friends after all, but he’s still pretty involved in the life for someone who is “retired.” But that’s neither here nor there tonight. 

Wally sighs heavily, trudging into Dick’s home and making a beeline for the couch. Despite the nice little trust fund Bruce has set up, Dick’s apartment is very broke student chic, if a broke student could afford furniture. He has a couch and a coffee table, a cheap TV stand and a small TV in the living room, then a coffee maker in the kitchen, and a queen size bed in the bedroom. The place is always a mess, mostly littered with clothes and spare weapons. Dick is pretty sure he has an extra Nightwing suit hidden under a pile of clothes somewhere. Bruce and Alfred would be horrified. 

Wally’s gloves come off and he throws them onto the coffee table as he drops heavily onto the sofa. Dick wants to laugh at his friend at the sight of them. A few years in California and suddenly the eastern coast is too chilly, even with his metabolism. “Yeah, that could have gone a lot better,” Wally sighs, running his hands through his hair and leaning back on the couch. Dick shrugs out of his coat and sits on the coffee table in front of Wally. Wally looks at Dick, green eyes sad. “I hate to see him hurting like this.” 

Dick’s heart squeezes in his chest. He reaches out, holding onto Wally’s hands with both of his. “Me too, Wally,” Dick says, pulling Wally’s hands to his chest, keeping him close. “I know he didn’t exactly ‘found’ the Team, but I still consider him one of the originals. One of us…” 

Wally squeezes Dick’s hands. “I wish we could do more to help.” 

Dick kisses Wally’s knuckles, a small show of support. “Me too,” Dick repeats. “But there’s only so much we can do. If he doesn’t want help, we can’t force it on him. He’ll only hate us for it, regardless of our intentions. We just... have to be there for him when he is ready to ask for our help.” 

“You know I’m not good with waiting,” Wally pouts. 

Dick lets out a laugh and moves to sit on Wally’s lap, straddling him. Wally’s eyebrows go up as his hands settle on Dick’s hips. Dick smirks, settling his weight more comfortably on Wally’s lap. “I know you’re not.” He teasingly grinds down. “So how about a distraction?” Dick suggests, putting his arms casually over Wally’s shoulders and leaning into him, getting their faces close together, smiling flirtatiously. 

“A distraction?” Wally echoes, eyes going from Dick’s mouth to his eyes, his tone interested. 

Dick’s smile widens and he rocks down a bit, feeling Wally’s cock starting to get hard. “Mhmm,” Dick hums, keeping the motion. “A distraction. I know how much you like those.” 

Wally nods, his grip on Dick’s hips tightening and encouraging him to grind down a little harder. “I do like distractions,” he agrees and bites his lip, panting a bit. “What did you have in mind?”

Dick snorts, smile turning into a smirk, like Wally already doesn’t have a clue about what Dick has in mind. He leans down, pressing his lips to Wally’s. He can feel Wally smile as they deepen the kiss. Dick moans, eyes closing, and he shifts a little closer, tilting his head. He loves kissing Wally; he never thought that he would be able to, never thought that Waly would reciprocate his feelings. But here they are, almost seven months later, still happily making out like lovesick teenagers. Although, technically, Dick is still a ‘teenager.’ 

Wally pulls Dick closer, pushing his tongue into Dick’s mouth and moaning lewdly. Dick grinds into Wally, pressing half-formed erections together. He’s a little surprised that they’re both so willing right now: tonight has been filed with a lot of emotional stuff. That being said, they’re both healthy young men and could do with some comforting right now. He pushes his fingers through Wally’s hair and tugs on it, trying to get him as close as possible. Wally moans, pulling back with a gasp, cheeks flushed. “Fuck, Dick,” he pants, pushing his hips up as well. “This is a good distraction.”

“Obviously not,” Dick chuckles, rotating his hips, “if you can still think in full sentences.” 

“I’m barely thinking,” Wally promises, eyes closing in pleasure.

Dick laughs outright. “I guess not with a set-up like that.” 

“Huh?” Wally asks. 

Dick laughs again, moving his hands from Wally’s hair, dragging them down his chest to his pants. Wally gasps, thrusting his hips into Dick’s touch. “You’re acting like you’ve been left hanging for too long,” Dick observes, deftly undoing Wally’s pants. He finds Wally’s erection and pulls it out, Wally shivering when Dick touches him. 

Wally shakes his head. “Just with you. It’s been too long.” 

Dick’s chest fills with warmth. “Sweet talker,” he mutters, licking his palm and stroking over Wally’s cock. Wally’s mouth falls open, a moan tumbling out. Dick smiles. “You’re so pretty, Wally.” He loves saying that: it makes the blush on Wally’s face even darker. And it’s adorable. Also, that blush is always accompanied by a pout that is really too cute for words.

It takes a moment, but there’s the pout Dick loves so much. He can’t help but kiss it. Wally mumbles against Dick’s lips and Dick has to pull back. “What was that?” he asks cheekily.

“Called you the pretty one,” Wally says, leaning in for another kiss. Dick smiles and he feels Wally’s hands move to the front of his pants. Yes, that’s a good direction. He swivels his hips, encouraging Wally without breaking their kiss. Wally must have used his speed because one second Dick is pushing his clothed groin into Wally’s hand and the next, his cock is out and pressed against Wally’s. The suddenness shocks Dick and he breaks away from Wally, his back arching and thrusts against Wally without thought. When he finally collects himself enough to look at Wally, he’s smirking. “You like that?” he asks, smug. 

Dick nods, feeling sweat starting to collect on his brow. “Yeah. Yeah,” he pants. “Love the feel of you.” 

“Now who’s a sweet talker?” Wally chuckles, wrapping his hand around both their erections. Dick moans, thrusting harder. “Yeah, just like that, babe. Feel so good,” Wally pants. 

Dick knows that they’re both close. Just a little bit more. He wraps his arms around Wally’s shoulders, burying his face in the side of Wally’s neck. Wally is breathing hard next to his ear, hand stroking in counterpoint over them. He _has_ to be tapping into his superspeed, not that Dick’s complaining. “Fuck, Wally. I’m so close, just, ah–!” 

Wally’s thumb flicks over the head of Dick’s cock. It’s almost enough. Just under the threshold. “Come on, Dick,” Wally whispers, doing it again. Dick is pretty sure the thumb’s vibrating, but Dick can’t be sure. “Make a mess. I know how much you like them.” 

And that’s enough. Dick comes with a cry, thrusting into Wally’s hand through his orgasm. “Fuck!” Wally curses, following closely after. He continues his brutal pace on their cocks until Dick whimpers. “Shit. Sorry,” Wally pants. “Got a little carried away.”

“Seems like that happens a lot,” Dick says, breathless and shaking a little bit from the aftershocks. 

“Only in bed,” Wally chuckles, head leaning back on the couch. 

Dick snorts and pulls his face from the side of Wally’s neck, his eyes catching the time on the stove. 1211. Of course. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Dick mutters, kissing Wally under the ear. 

Wally tenses. “Valentine’s Day?”

Dick sits back, an incredulous look on his face. “You’ve been in a relationship for five years. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten Valentine’s Day.” 

Wally looks away from him, somewhere at the floor. “Every year...including this year… for five years,” he admits, blush high on his cheeks for a different reason this time. Still unfairly adorable. 

Dick gapes. “Wally! Did you even get Artemis anything?" 

“I forgot,” Wally says, eyes down and tucking them both back into their pants like it isn’t something worth drawing attention to. It really isn’t, but it seems ridiculous in this situation to Dick. “I mean, it comes out of the blue every year! I mean,” he repeats, “she doesn’t mind. She’s still with me in spite of that.” 

Dick sighs and ruffles Wally’s hair. “That’s because you’re so pretty.” Wally gives him an offended look and Dick giggles. “Okay, I know dates are hard for you,” he concedes. “But just… do something nice for her. Say ‘Happy Valentine’s’ to her first. I can pull some strings in Palo Alto if you want to take her out.”

Wally shifts uncomfortably, but doesn’t make a move to dislodge Dick, so he stays where he is. “Artemis really isn’t that kinda girl, ya know? I think she’d rather just rather not do anything. I mean, she’s forgotten twice, too.” 

“Ah,” Dick nods. “Well, five years is a big deal, my friend. And have you ever actually wined and dined her?” Wally shakes his head. “Then how do you know she won’t like it? She might not! She might hate it, but why not do something special for her? I know she isn’t flattered by all the fancy stuff, but once a year is nice, right?” 

“I don’t want it to be anything that I can’t top,” Wally says. “You have the means to do that, go over the top year after year, but I can’t top a Dick Grayson Date.” 

Dick smiles and kisses Wally slowly. He does so until Wally starts to kiss him back and begins to relax against him. Dick pulls back after savoring the contact for a while and brushes their noses together, not going too far away. “You don’t have to beat me, Wally,” he whispers. “I know this may come as a surprise, but she _already_ likes you.” Wally huffs out a laugh. Dick smiles and sits back, making sure to look into Wally’s eyes. He strokes the side of Wally’s face as he continues, “All you have to do is show her you’re thinking about her. She’ll _love_ that.” 

There’s a light in Wally’s eye that suggests that he wants to disagree with Dick, but, thankfully, he doesn't. “What did _you_ get her?”

Dick smiles, a thread of pride creeping into him. “A crystal dagger.” 

Wally blinks a couple of times. “A what?”

“A dagger, a weapon, a blade of red crystal and a simple, custom handle.” 

Wally’s mouth falls open. “She’s going to love that! I can’t compete with that!” He looks defeated. Dick’s heart breaks. “I can’t believe you got her a _weapon!”_ He pauses. “Or, well, I can, but _Dick!”_

Dick chuckles and covers Wally’s mouth with his hand. “Calm down, Walls. I know it’s a good gift, but it’s hardly a weapon. One, maybe two uses, at most.” Dick shrugs. “It’s just something pretty, like a necklace.” Wally sighs, slumping. Dick uncovers Wally’s mouth and kisses him once, twice, maybe three times, maybe more. Who’s counting? “And it’s not a competition. We just have to show her we care. Besides, if you do that thing with your _tongue_...” Dick gets distracted for a moment, staring at Wally’s mouth, thinking about said tongue. Wally licks his lip and Dick can feel himself blushing. Dick clears his throat. “Yeah, do that thing with your tongue. It’s probably why she doesn’t care that you forget.” 

Wally laughs. “It’s not because I’m a good boyfriend?”

Dick shrugs and holds his hand out, moving it in a ‘so-so’ motion, saying, “Meh.” 

Wally snorts. “Well, there goes your Valentine’s gift.” 

“You remembered a gift for me but not the girl you’ve been with for 5 years?” Dick asks and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t believe you.” 

“Well,” Wally says casually, “to be fair, it is pretty last-minute. But the way that you were going on about a _certain part_ of me, I thought you’d like some quality time with it. You know, for Valentine’s Day.”

Heat flashes through Dick’s body. He shivers. “I take it back. You’re the best boyfriend ever. In the whole universe even. Please, please, please can I have my gift?” he begs. Wally hums and haws, like he’s thinking about it. Dick can play this game. “Please?” he asks, pressing their bodies together again, rubbing against him. “Please, please, please,” he leans in next to Wally’s ear and whispers, “with a cherry on top?” 

Wally shivers. “Just a cherry?” 

“Fine, the whole sundae!” Dick says, sitting back and incredulous. The smirk on Wally’s face is enough to remind him what he’s begging for. He calms down a bit. “Now, please?” 

Wally laughs. “Okay, okay. Let’s go to your bedroom. Get comfortable. I still have a couple of hours before it’s Valentine’s Day in California.” Dick stands and starts stripping in front of Wally. Wally watches for a second. He smirks and starts sashaying to his bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes like breadcrumbs. Although it’s mostly adding to the mess that’s already there. To be fair, his sashay may be a bit more of a run. He’s never been so grateful for time zones in his entire life. 

Wally follows behind him at a more sedate pace. Why is it _now_ that he wants to move slow? He’s also still frustratingly dressed, although his jacket has been taken off. Dick wonders how messy it is because Wally’s sweater is nice and clean. “You just gonna stare?” Dick asks, finally pulling off his last piece of clothing. 

Wally looks up and down Dick’s body, biting his lip. “A little bit longer, dear. Be patient.” 

Dick growls in frustration and falls onto his bed. “Of course he can be patient _now,”_ Dick mutters under his breath. 

“Well you didn’t leave anything for me to unwrap,” Wally playfully pouts. 

“This is _my_ gift, not yours,” Dick points out. 

“So maybe you should unwrap it?”

Dick laughs and sits up, grabbing onto Wally’s sweater and tugging him close to the bed. “I hope you hate everything you’re wearing because you know how I am with wrapping paper,” Dick warns. 

Wally laughs and kisses Dick. “I’m pretty sure you could afford the bill.” 

Dick snorts and gets to work unwrapping his gift.

* * *

[FEB 14, 0253 EST: BLÜDHAVEN] 

Dick is adorably half asleep. They finished up around ten minutes ago and Wally is freshly showered and dressed (in some borrowed clothes, of course. Dick may not have superpowers, but he kept true to his word and tore Wally’s clothes apart like they personally offended him). Dick is smiling softly and nuzzles into Wally’s hand when he strokes his face. “Mmmmm,” Dick hums, “that was fun.” He sounds a little drunk.

“It was,” Wally agrees, unable to help the adoring smile on his face. But it slips off in the next moment. “You okay if I leave? You can always come with me.” 

Dick shakes his head. “I’ll be okay here. You need to get back to Arty.” He kisses Wally’s palm. “And don’t worry. I’ll text a friend of a friend and get something set up for you two in Palo Alto.”

“You don’t have to, Dick. I always manage to cobble something together.”

Dick’s eyes open and they’re pleading. It’s too late to look away from them. “Just this year, Wally,” he says. “Let me do this for you.” 

“So your Valentine’s gift to me is a romantic evening with Artemis? On your dime, I would assume?” Saying it out loud makes it sound ridiculous. He hopes that Dick can hear that, but that doesn’t appear to happen.

Instead, Dick relaxes. “Yeah. I know you wish you could do stuff like this. Or at least I remember you telling me so when we were younger. Let me help, Walls.”

Being able to spoil a partner has always been something Wally has desired to do. And he tries his best, with the limited resources he has, but he can’t do anything the same scale as Dick could do. He doesn’t hate Dick for it, not at all, it only makes gift giving that much harder. The allure of being able to be able to show Artemis just how much he cares, show just how much she is worth to him. Even a Dick Grayson Date couldn’t measure up, but it’s closer than what he can do. “Fine,” he sighs. “Just this once.”

Dick smirks, pleased. “You can even tell her it was your idea.” 

“You’re the best,” Wally says, leaning down to kiss Dick again. Then he laughs, “But you know she’d never believe whatever you did was my idea, right?”

Dick snickers. “Maybe she’ll amuse you this once.”

“You _have_ met Artemis, right?” he chuckles. 

“Maybe she will,” Dick shrugs. “You’ll have to let me know if she does. And tell her to contact me if she needs help finding something to wear. I’m sure she has something stunning already, but special occasions like this are different.”

“Gosh, Dick, what are you going to do when _we_ hit five years?” Wally asks, immediately blushing at the question. He never meant to say that out loud. They haven’t been together for a year yet. He can’t get too ahead of himself. But Dick looks pleased, so Wally can’t bring himself to regret asking it. 

Dick pulls him down for a short, chaste kiss, then pushes him away. “Get out of here. It’s almost Valentine’s over there. Don’t keep her waiting and _don’t forget the tongue.”_

Wally laughs, blushing for a different reason this time: is his tongue really that good? He leans down, giving Dick one last lingering kiss before standing. “Thanks, Dick, about the date thing. I’ll tell Arty when something is set up.”

Dick scowls playfully. “Are you doubting me?” 

Wally holds up his hands. “Never!” He rubs the back of his neck and admits, “I don’t want to jinx it.”

Dick rolls his eyes fondly. “‘Night, Wally.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! Comments and kudos are always welcome!
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more updates!


	2. Midnight Snack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally gets home for Valentine's Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you like this! Please be gentle with me, i"ve never written anything like this before, but i actually love how this has turned out??? i know this is weird with the 3rd season coming out, but again, this is only season 2.
> 
> also I would like to note that this is a closed triangle relationship. I know this isn't the norm exactly, but that's how this relationship is going to function, so that's just for everyone to know. like a heads up
> 
> i hope you enjoy it!
> 
> i think i've added some tags!!

[FEB 14, 0003 PST: PALO ALTO]

Wally sighs as he enters the apartment he shares with Artemis and their dog. Brucely is sleeping soundly on the couch, completely ignoring the doggy bed they bought for him. At this point, they’ve resigned themselves to the whole couch being Brucely’s bed. Wally passes by him, heading for the kitchen table. Just as he’s sitting down, he hears Artemis ask, “Hey, how’d it go?” 

He shouldn’t be surprised that she’s up. It’s only midnight here. Wally is the one coming off an extra three hours. Her question reminds him of why he went to the East Coast to begin with. He groans and rubs his hands over his face, forgetting that his gloves are still on. He can already feel his sensitive skin reacting to the rough material, but he can’t care right now. “It didn’t,” he tells her, one hand moving to the back of his neck to rub it while the other goes to his lap. “We talked… he wouldn’t hear us.” He groans and rubs his face again. “And on top of that, my Vietnamese Lit paper is still due at 8 am.” He feels a hand on his shoulder and knows she’s standing at his side. His hands drop and he looks up at her, giving her the cutest look he can manage. “I don’t suppose I could copy off yours?”

She’s already dressed for bed, a long t-shirt with the number thirteen on it. Wally loves her night shirt, it shows off her legs real nice, but they can be distracting. She chuckles and bends down, kissing the side of his face. “Not a chance.” Her lips are so much softer than his gloves, a balm on irritated skin. He inhales through his nose. She’s already gone through her night routine: her face smells like the moisturizer that Wally is not allowed to use and the hair around her temples is damp, and her breath smells minty fresh. He feels a swell of fondness for her in this moment, so grateful that he can be here. 

“Hey, it’s after midnight,” he says, remembering Dick’s advice to say it first, “happy Valentine’s Day, Artemis.” And maybe Dick is onto something about this because Artemis lights right up and Wally feels a visceral need to remember every special occasion/anniversary from this day forward.

“You remembered,” she says, happy, a smile on her face.

“Come on! What kind of jerk would I be if I forgot Valentine’s Day?” he asks, giving her a broad grin. She gives him a knowing smile and he awkwardly adds, “For the fifth year in a row?” 

Artemis giggles and leans back. “This wouldn’t happen to be because a certain someone reminded you?”

“Whaaaaaaaaat?” he exaggeratedly asks, drawing another giggle from her. “No, I’m totally a good boyfriend.”

Artemis laughs and it should sting, but Wally only feels fondness for her. She stands and sashays away from him, his eyes watching the way her nightshirt sways around her thighs. “Sure, it had nothing to do with Dick at all.” 

“Hm?” Wally asks, looking up. She raises an eyebrow then her words register. “Dick?” Wally asks. “What does he have to do with anything?” He chuckles, purposely making himself sound nervous. 

Artemis laughs again, shaking her head. “Oh, it’s just that you smell like him and I know for a fact those aren’t your pants. And the fact that it’s already been Valentine’s Day for a few hours over there.” 

“Oh?” Wally mimics. “And what does Dick smell like?” It’s a stupid question, but it’s the one that came out of his mouth, so he’s going to stick with it. 

Artemis swoons exaggeratedly, hand going to her forehead and leaning against the fridge. “Like a fashion magazine,” she sighs dreamily. 

Wally wants to feel jealous or offended, but he can only agree. “And what do I smell like?” 

Artemis composes herself, smiling wickedly. “Oranges and mint.”

Wally scoffs. “Nothing poetic for me?”

“Maybe if you started smelling like something poetic,” she shoots back. Wally sighs and shakes his head fondly. Really, he can’t get much of an ego with Dick  _ and _ Artemis around, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I smell poetic now,” Wally grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Artemis snickers. “Well, it was a nice surprise to be told first this year. And as much as I love your scared-slash-stunned face when I give you your gift, this is a nice change.” Shit. He really needs to listen to Dick more about this dating stuff. How can Dick know more about Wally's girlfriend than he does? It seems unfair. “I may as well give you your gift because I don’t doubt it’ll be gone by morning.” 

“My gift?” Wally asks, suddenly incredibly grateful that Dick was so insistent about doing something for Arty.

“Yep.” She smiles. “I got you your favorite food,” she opens the fridge door and it’s stuffed to the brim with all sorts of delicious goodies, “everything.” 

Wally stares at the food and the beautiful woman beside it, heart filling with love. “Babe… you rock.” It’s all that he can think to say. He’s not very good with words, so he tries to use actions instead. He wishes he could  _ tell _ her, so she could hear it, but he can’t. So he stands and crosses the room, pulling her into a hug. She fits in his arms just right, head under his chin. He cradles the back of her head, holding her close. Her hair smells like coconut and honey.

“You’re still worried about Roy, aren’t you?” she asks softly. 

Wally holds her tighter. “He’s lost, babe… alone.” He takes a deep breath. “The guy just won’t let anyone in.” 

Her arms tighten around him. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help.” 

“You’re helping me,” Wally whispers. “And I’ve been told I just have to be patient.”

Artemis laughs. “You? Patient?” 

Wally laughs, too. “I  _ know _ , right?!” 

She continues to chuckle, pulling back and looking up at Wally. He looks into her eyes and is filled with happiness. He leans down, kissing her slowly and deeply. She hums, kissing him back, her arms moving around his neck and pressing their fronts together. Wally runs his hands down her body, fingers finding the hem of her shirt and trailing over bare skin. Wally moans, pulling her closer. She takes a step closer but then pulls back, tilting her lips away from Wally’s. “I’ve already showered tonight,” she says, sounding like she doesn’t want to be saying this. “Can we just go to bed?” 

Wally smiles, pushing some of her hair behind her ear. “Sure, babe,” he says. His other hand is playing with the hem of her shirt. “Or, I could give you part of your Valentine’s present early,” he suggests, trying to wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. It never works, but Artemis and Dick find it endearing, so he’ll always try to do it. 

She takes a step back, giving him a skeptical look. “No offense, but your dick is hardly a gift when I get to use it so much already. I can wait until later.” 

Wally laughs outright, unable to help it. “First off: ouch.” She laughs, cheeks turning pink. Wally isn’t upset with her at all. Artemis is bad with words too, but he knows what she meant. “But I wasn’t talking about that, although now I have to get you a better other half of your present.”

“Wally, I’m just–”

Wally cuts her off with a quick kiss. “Don’t worry, babe. I’m not offended and I’m just joking. Also, I wasn’t really talking about  _ that.” _ He kisses her again, short and sweet, to reassure her. She looks relaxed and waiting for him to continue. He holds onto her hands, and he has a moment of disbelief that he’s  _ still wearing his gloves _ . “I have been told that I have a specific part of me that is apparently a very good gift to give.” Her cheeks go pink again. Wally raises an eyebrow (or both, because he can’t control them separately). “Do you have any guesses what this part could be?” 

Her eyes flick to his lips and he’s sure to lick them at the same time. The pink on her cheeks goes darker and she won’t look away. She clears her throat. “I may have an idea…”

Wally can’t believe how oblivious he is. How the hell has he managed not only to get Artemis to date him, but also Dick? What on earth do they see in his nerdy, oblivious self? “Oh?” he continues to speak casually. He releases her hands and quickly removes his gloves, dropping them onto the floor before taking her hands back into his. He brings up one of her hands, kissing the knuckles. “So can you be convinced to receive part of your gift a little early?”

Artemis bites her lip and shifts from foot to foot. “I could be persuaded…” 

“Against the wall?” Wally asks, unable to help the excited clip to his tone. 

She shivers and nods, tightening her grip on Wally’s hand and dragging him into the bedroom. Wally lets himself be dragged around, kind of liking how Artemis is stronger than him. They generally don’t have sex in the common areas where Brucely could watch. In their early days with Brucely, they were less careful, but having the dog watch them creeps Wally out. Once Wally is inside the room, he slams the door shut and spins Artemis around, pushing her up against the closed door. She shivers and tilts her head up. Wally leans down, kissing her hard. He wrestles out of his jacket without breaking away from her lips. It’s never been so hard to take off before. He grunts and pulls back, focusing his attention on the jacket.

Artemis laughs breathlessly, watching him. Wally gives her a smile, arms finally coming free. There’s a small waft of Dick’s cologne from the t-shirt that he borrowed. “Victory?” she asks. Wally snorts and kisses her again. She smiles against his mouth and tangles her fingers in his hair, deepening their kiss. Wally groans, hands under her shirt again, this time focusing on her front, fingers teasing over her labia. 

It’s not much, but she’s pushing her hips into his hand and she’s so warm already. Wally keeps on playing over her, rubbing around, but not going inside. He continues to do this until his fingers start to get a little wet. Artemis pulls back, panting. “Wally, please,” she moans. 

“As you wish,” Wally says, dropping to his knees. Artemis moans, fingers still tangled in Wally’s hair. He pulls one leg over his shoulder, settling in as close as he can. He looks up at her: her cheeks are red and she looks a little dazed and excited. It’s a face that few have the privilege of seeing and Wally feels honored every time he does get to see it. He runs hands up her legs, from her knees, to her thighs, to her hips, the soft cotton of the shirt brushing over his bare arms. “Are you ready?” he asks. 

Artemis tugs on his hair, huffing. “Do you tease Dick like this?” 

Wally takes a minute to think, making sure to drag it out. When she huffs again, Wally smiles. “Yeah, probably.” 

She rolls her eyes. “Well, I’m not Dick. So you better get going or I’ll take what I want.” 

Wally laughs. “That’s not much of a threat, but I won’t keep you waiting. This is supposed to be a gift, after all.” He slides his hands down and back up, this time catching the shirt in his hand and pushing the fabric up enough to expose her. She sighs, her head falling back. Wally doesn’t go in right away, instead kissing over her mound and hood. Lightly at first, probably more of a tickle than anything, then he moves to sucking marks into the insides of her thighs, moving his mouth closer and closer to her vagina, then kissing away down the other side. Artemis moans the entire time, hips pushing forward and her grip tight in his hair, but not directing him. Still, he knows it’s only a matter of time before she takes control. He can’t wait. 

It keeps on getting warmer between her legs and he can smell it in the air. He leaves a few more suck marks on her thighs then moves to the junction between her legs. Artemis is moaning, hips twitching. Wally leans up, licking a broad stripe from the bottom to the top, the tip of his tongue catching on her hood for a moment. Artemis shivers, breath coming in fast. From this angle, Wally can’t see her face, so he has to rely on her sounds to tell him if he’s doing a good job. They’re addictive sounds. Wally licks over her again, avoiding her clit and its hood, focusing his broad strokes over her lips. She keeps on pushing into him, moaning while she does so, so he has to be doing something right. 

He continues to lick up and up until he’s lapping over her clit and hood. Careful. Gentle. It’s a sensitive spot. Artemis moans, legs shaking around his ears. He laps and kisses there, sometimes moving around it, but not too far, teasing her as much as he can. Artemis is really shaking now, and he hasn’t even pulled out his party trick yet. 

Wally pushes her hips, pinning her to the wall as much as he can from this angle, and kisses his way back down. This time he licks harder, the tip of his tongue breaching inside for a moment as he licks up. Artemis moans at every pass inside her vagina, chasing Wally’s tongue as much as she can. Then Wally rolls his tongue, focusing on pushing inside her. The noise from Artemis is nearly indescribable. Wally moans, wiggling his tongue and flicking it over her walls. 

He adjusts his weight on his knees and it seems to change how Artemis is pressed into his mouth. His nose is an unforgiving pressure against her. Not that she seems to mind, her grip keeping Wally in place and her hips gyrating against him. “Wally, Wally,” Artemis pants, shaking. The leg over Wally’s shoulder is tense, keeping him as close as possible. Wally tries to spell some words out with the tip of his tongue. “Wally!” 

Wally moans. Yeah. He’s doing something right. 

Sadly, he has to pull away to breathe and relax his jaw. His chin is entirely wet, but he doesn’t make a move to wipe it. Artemis seems to be taking a breather as well. He catches his breath and dives back in, not wanting to give Artemis a chance to cool down. She groans when he licks over her again. He doesn’t go back inside yet, wanting to give his jaw a break. He keeps it simple: licks and kisses, almost teasing, but almost enough. When it feels like his jaw has been rested enough, he goes back inside. Artemis moans, hips twitching, her grip on his hair very tight. Wally tries the same spelling trick for a couple of words, leaving Artemis shaking. Then… he pulls out his party trick. 

He wiggles his tongue inside her, rolling it and flicking it for a couple of seconds, then, in the blink of an eye, his tongue is vibrating . Artemis screams, grip unmoving and humping his face. Wally may have been pinning her earlier, but now he’s just holding on, letting Artemis chase her pleasure. Although he does wish that he had a free hand to take care of his erection, but this isn’t about him. 

“Wally!” Artemis screams, hips jerking, her legs tensing around his head and then breathing heavily. Then she goes lax. 

Wally removes his tongue when he feels her aftershocks starting to subside, pressing his face into her hip and dropping one hand into his lap. Her shirt falls and partially covers his head, her leg still over his shoulder. He makes quick work of his borrowed pants, tearing them open and releasing his hard cock. His hand flies over his cock, using the dripping precome for lube. Wally pants, eyes squeezed shut, opening and closing his mouth, tasting Artemis on his tongue still. She’s running her fingers through his hair and all it takes is the memory of her holding him in place to make him fall over the edge. 

He moans, pressing his face into Artemis’ skin, stroking himself until it starts to hurt. Then he slumps against her, somehow both of them still upright. “I love your tongue,” Artemis pants. Wally laughs breathlessly. “Not that I don’t love the other parts of you, too, but that tongue…” she takes a deep breath, petting his head. “...it should be illegal, it feels so good.”

Wally sits back far enough so he can look up to Artemis’ face. Her cheeks are flushed and there’s a satisfied glow about her. “Thank you,” Wally says. “But really that was just as much fun for me.” 

She pets over his head. “Your face is  _ soaked.” _

Wally smiles cheekily, just now noticing that she’s right. The bottom half of his face is very wet, maybe even dripping down his neck into the fabric of the shirt he’s wearing. “Just means I did a good job, babe.”

Artemis laughs, not maliciously or in disbelief, but happily. “Yeah, you did. Top ten, that’s for sure.” 

Wally’s jaw drops.  _ “Only  _ top ten? My tongue  _ vibrates.” _

Artemis snickers. “Top five?” 

Wally sighs and rolls his eyes fondly. “Fine, I’ll take it.” He leans against her again, relaxing. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I may be a little rubbery, but I can stand. Why?” 

“Because I need to clean up and then finish my paper,” Wally sighs. 

Artemis chuckles. “No afterglow for the wicked, huh?”

Wally laughs. “Definitely not. It shouldn’t take too long, but I need to finish it.” 

“Alright. Let me clean up first, then I’ll stop distracting you.” 

“You  _ are _ really distracting. Not wearing underwear,” Wally mutters. 

Artemis laughs as she takes her leg off Wally’s shoulder and stands under her own power. “I generally don’t wear underwear to bed.” 

Wally stares up at her, wide-eyed. “I’ll never be able to sleep again.” 

Artemis chuckles and leans down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I could probably find ways to tire you out,” she teases, then walks away. 

Their bathroom is attached to their bedroom, but also connected to the rest of the apartment. Wally watches Artemis walk towards the bathroom. “You can’t tease someone with a refractory period like mine by saying stuff like that!” he calls after her. Her only response is a laugh. 

He sighs and tucks himself back into his pants, grimacing at the mess he’s left on the floor. “Crap,” he mutters, pulling at the collar of his shirt (which is a little damp) and taking his shirt off. First, he wipes off his face quickly, just a scrub to collect most of the moisture, then he uses it to mop up his mess and tosses it towards the hamper. The shirt may be salvageable? But it won’t matter if it isn’t. While he “borrowed” it from Dick, really it’s a shirt that Dick keeps stored at his place for Wally. Dick has a bunch of stuff for Artemis, too, so Wally knows that there are at least three more shirts like this one in Dick’s wardrobe. 

Wally stands and wipes around his mouth again with his hand, even though his skin is mostly dry. Artemis comes back into the bedroom looking refreshed and content, a healthy glow on her cheeks. Wally watches her crawl into bed and takes a moment to wonder how he got so lucky. “After you wash your face, come give me a kiss before you lose yourself in your paper,” she says, snuggling under their comforter. 

He does just that, going into the bathroom and washing his face and brushing his teeth (again) before going back into the bedroom. Artemis is scrolling through her phone. Wally assumes she’s setting her alarm, but she puts it down when she notices that Wally is back in the room. “I like your shirt,” she says, smirking. 

Wally frowns. “I’m not wearing–oh.” Artemis laughs at him. Wally snickers and leans over her, kissing her on the forehead. “Silly.” She smiles, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him in to kiss her on the lips. Wally smiles against her lips, staying there until she lets him go. “Goodnight, Artemis. Love you,” he whispers.

“I love you too, Wally,” she says, lying back sleepily. “Good luck with your paper.”

“Thanks, babe. I’ll need it. Kiss me before you leave?” He’s pretty sure that Artemis will be heading out before him in the morning. 

“Always.” She shoves at him. “Now go. I need sleep.” 

“Fine, fine. Sweet dreams,” Wally says, giving her another forehead kiss before going to his wardrobe and picking out some comfortable clothes. He grabs a long sleeve that’s soft from years of use and a pair of sweatpants. Artemis is almost asleep by the time he sneaks out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly. He’s almost jealous about how easy it is for her to fall asleep. 

Brucely is still sound asleep on the couch. Wally collects his books and laptop from the coffee table and spreads everything out on the kitchen table. Before he sits down and gets to work, he fixes a snack from the amazing gift Artemis gave him.

Snack prepared, dishes in the sink, he settles and turns on his laptop. The time on his laptop reads 01:08 AM. A little under seven hours before his paper is due. He sighs. Might as well get to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always welcome!! 
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more real time updates! Or just to talk with me!
> 
> please let me know what you think!


	3. Reservations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day. Still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that this isn't just going to be a fluffy story, but i really want to establish how the relationship dynamics work before i get into the heavy stuff. So please bear with me? 
> 
> I hope everyone likes this!

[FEB 14, 1422 PST: PALO ALTO]

Dick fidgets a little, waiting at the table he reserved for lunch. He’s dressed in his nice clothes and his hair is somewhat tamed. On the outside, no one can see just how nervous Dick is, the twitch as he plays with his napkin next to his half-full glass of water really the only clue. He checks his watch: 02:22 PM. Early still. He told his date that the reservation was for 02:30 PM. This place doesn’t really need a reservation, but Dick would rather be prepared, especially on Valentine’s Day. The restaurant doesn’t appear to get much lunch traffic. There are empty tables, but they’re decorated for the holiday. The decorations are stuck somewhere between classic and garish: the cloth napkins are clean, the table is spotless, and there’s a centerpiece of a glass vase filled with red beads and one of those LED candles and there are some classic dollar store cut-outs on the wall. The silverware is polished, but is not real silver, and was folded in the napkin, held together with a red band with a heart on it. 

“Hey, Dick.” Dick jumps and spins. Artemis is standing there, looking slightly amused. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long?” she adds, raising an eyebrow. Dick stands quickly and rushes around to the empty chair, pulling it out for her. She smirks at him, but moves to sit without another word. 

“No. No waiting. You’re right on time. I was… let’s say eager,” Dick says, helping her push in her chair. 

“Oh? Do I make you nervous?” she asks, watching as he moves back around to his seat.

Dick scoffs as he sits down. “I’m pretty sure I said ‘eager.’”

“And I’m pretty sure Bruce taught you better.” 

Dick rolls his eyes, amused. “Okay, okay. I’m a little nervous. I mean this is our first Valentine’s Day together. I don’t want to mess up.” 

Artemis smiles, picking up the menu and scanning over the items. “You know me, Dick. I don’t need anything fancy or crazy.” 

“I know, but I like to spoil my most important people.”

Artemis blushes, but doesn’t look up. Dick takes the moment to look at her. She looks very nice. Her hair is half up and she’s wearing makeup that accentuates her eyes and cheekbones. She’s wearing one of her “nice” shirts, a flowy, feminine shirt with three-quarter length sleeves and a coy amount of cleavage on display. It looks good on her, complementing her skin tone well, but she doesn’t wear it often because of its floral pattern. Dick feels flattered that she wore a shirt like that for a simple date like this. “Well,” she says out of nowhere, “I guess I have you to thank for Wally’s ‘idea’ for a date tonight.” 

Dick sits up straight, but tries to stay casual, rearranging his cutlery carefully, but also trying to project curiosity, like he has no idea what she’s talking about. “What idea?” 

She flips a page in her menu. “Oh, you know, dinner at a six-star restaurant, one that requires a jacket worth more than two months’ rent and a tie for them to even look at you.”

“I’m pretty sure that the rating system only goes to five stars–”

“You know what I mean.”

“–but that sounds like a wonderful idea. How thoughtful of Wally. He must have been planning this for a long time,” Dick finishes, waving for a waiter. Sure, this isn’t that kind of establishment (he makes a mental note to tip extra to make up for it), but he needs to distract Artemis. He’s sure it works as the waiter comes to the table and Artemis orders a glass of wine and an entree. Dick orders some chicken entree. He can’t really remember, not paying that much attention. 

“That was a good try, Dick,” Artemis says when the waiter scurries off, “but we both know Wally better than that. He’s forgotten Valentine’s for five years, and his excuse is always that the day sneaks up on him, like it changes every year or something.” They share a chuckle. “And I checked the website, to see what the dress code would be, cause the only thing Wally said to me was ‘fancy’–”

Dick groans, muttering and exasperated, “Wally,” under his breath.

“–and apparently, there’s a nine month waiting list for just a regular night and a two-year waiting list for Valentine’s Day.” Now Dick is upset with himself for not thinking about that. It’s easy to forget that Artemis was, no,  _ is  _ trained to be an assassin/enforcer for her father, so collecting information is generally second nature to her now. “We both know Wally is almost physically incapable of thinking that far ahead. So I assume you worked some sort of Wayne-Grayson magic and got us a table.” She stares at him for a moment. She doesn’t look upset. “Am I wrong?” 

Dick shuffles in his seat. “Not really. I mean, I didn’t have to pull many strings. I have a table on reserve there.” 

“You live on the other side of the country, Dick. Why would you have a table reserved all the way over here? I mean, I assume it’s something rich people do, but your base is in Blüdhaven.” 

Dick shuffles again, looking down at the table. “Yeah… but you two are here…”

“What?” 

“I mean, it’s really a reservation for three, but I’ve already made the arrangements to make it just for two. Don’t worry, I won’t crash your date.”

Artemis frowns.Their moment is interrupted by the waiter bringing them their drinks. They thank him, but neither drinks. “What makes you think you wouldn’t be allowed to come?” She readjusts herself in her seat. “I’m pretty sure that you’re paying for this evening anyway. Seems rude to say you’re not allowed to come.” 

Dick shrugs, trying to be nonchalant, but this conversation is getting a little too close to some of his insecurities for comfort. “I thought you two would like some time alone. And it’s five years: a big milestone. I thought you guys should do something special tonight.” 

“Dick,” Artemis says, reaching over the table and putting her hand over Dick’s. “Yeah, me and Wally have been together for five years, but we’re not just a couple anymore. We’re not a mix and match of couples, either. We are three. We’re not always together, physically, but we are always  _ together.” _

Dick can’t look at her. “I don’t… I know this wasn’t something too easy for you to agree to. And I never wanted to make it look like I’m trying to woo one of you away from the other, so I want you two to just have some alone time.”

“Dick,” she says again, squeezing his hand. She doesn’t get to say what she wants because their food arrives. Their hands separate and they make room for the waiter to put the food down. Artemis declines a second glass of wine (though she hasn’t even taken a sip yet, but the waiter looks embarrassed when he realizes that, so Dick brushes it off as habit) and they thank him. Dick digs into his meal, hoping that the interruption calls for a change of subject, but he should know better by now. “Dick,” Artemis repeats in a tone that he knows better than to ignore. He looks at her and she has a serious look on her face. “I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I didn’t have reservations before we started this thing. But you need to know that, before we talked to you, before Wally asked you out, Wally and I discussed this for months.” 

Dick’s eyes go wide. “What?” When Wally first asked him out, it felt like a rush decision. An impulse, which speedsters are notorious for acting on. Although, thinking about it, it does make sense that they would discuss it first. Wally may do stuff impulsively, but he wouldn’t hurt Artemis like that. Regardless of his own impulsive nature. 

“I know that our relationship–mine and yours–is younger than yours and Wally’s, but me and Wally want the same thing: to date you. You’ve known Wally for longer than I have. Hell, you’re his best friend. It only makes sense that you’d be more comfortable entering a romantic relationship quicker. But you and me? Sure, we were friends when we were on the Team, but we weren’t as close when me and Wally went into retirement.”

“What are you trying to say?” Dick asks, not understanding where she’s going with this line of thought. 

Artemis grabs Dick’s hand again, looking him straight in the eye. “What I’m  _ trying _ to say is that I’ve never been concerned about you dating Wally. I mean, it isn’t a competition and I know Wally’s heart is big enough for both of us. I may have only seemed reluctant at the start because I was being cautious. I didn’t want to get my or Wally’s hopes up.” She squeezes his hand. “I’m not about to date someone I don’t like. So I spent the first few months making sure that we could be compatible. And I thought we could be. And I don’t regret it, deciding to start a relationship with you. I love these one-on-one dates, but we’re all dating  _ each other, _ Dick. And that means that everyone is invited to special occasions.” She stops speaking, watching Dick for a moment. “Am I making sense?” 

Dick blinks then nods. “Y-Yeah. Yeah it does. I’m sorry, I just… I thought you really only liked me, or put up with me, because of Wally. Initially I mean, then you grew to actually like me.” 

“Dick,” Artemis says softly, leaning over the table and cupping his jaw in her hand. Dick leans into the touch, closing his eyes at the sensation. “I forget how young you are sometimes.” Dick’s eyes snap open and he scowls. “I don’t mean it like a bad thing, just that you haven’t got the same experience as us. That everything feels a lot bigger than it feels to me and Wally.” 

“Artemis,” Dick exhales. 

She leans over the table, kissing him on the lips. “I do like you, Dick. I wouldn’t have dated you if I didn’t want to.” She sits back, a smirk on her face. “You know me, no one can make me do something I don’t want.”

Dick chuckles. “That is true.”

“If you feel scared of unsure of anything, you have to talk to us. Dating two people gives you twice as much happiness, but it also doubles the issues. No relationship is perfect 100% of the time. We have to  _ talk, _ okay?” She pauses, a concerned look coming over her face. “Are  _ you _ unsure about dating us?” 

“No!” Dick says quickly. “I don’t want to cause issues. I love being with both of you, but I also love you two together. You guys look so… happy together. And I want you to be happy.” 

Artemis smiles, soft and sweet. “We are, Dick. We are happy, okay?”

Dick nods. “Yeah, okay. Sorry.” 

“You don’t have to apologize,” she says, holding onto his hand. “Just talk to us next time, okay?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good,” Artemis nods, letting go of Dick’s hand and finally digging into her food. Dick’s food has cooled a lot by now, but it doesn’t matter. He starts eating as well, a smile on his face. “Is there any way to add a third to that dinner reservation?” Artemis asks casually. 

Dick smiles and swallows the bite of food in his mouth, shaking his head. “No, sorry. Maybe I could, but I think it would just be too much trouble for the place; it’s easier to squeeze two people in, instead of three. I think the manager cried when I just asked for a two-person reservation on such short notice.” 

Artemis chuckles. “I guess so, but maybe we could all do something together? I mean I’ll go out tonight with Wally, let him believe that I think it was his idea.” Dick laughs. “But we should all do something together.” 

“Okay,” Dick nods, thinking. “Maybe I can stop by later? After dinner, I mean. I  _ am _ getting Wally a suit that fits and it seems fair that I would get to see him in it.” 

Artemis’ eyes flash with heat. “Maybe you should. We could put that speedster stamina to the test?” she suggests. 

Dick gulps, a million images flashing through his mind. It’s easy to forget that Wally is the only one with super powers out of the three of them. Maybe together, they can wear Wally out? It’s a nice image. Dick clears his throat. “So, besides Wally getting ridden hard and put away wet, how about we talk about you?” 

“Me?”

“Yes,” Dick nods, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “I know you’re not one for the fancy stuff, but why not go all out tonight? At this restaurant, you will stand out, but only because no one will be able to take their eyes off you. I could even arrange for you two to arrive separately to give Wally a real surprise.” 

Artemis hums. “I don’t know. Seems like you’re wasting a lot of money on one night…”

“Trust me, this is not a waste. Not to me,” Dick says emphatically. “I want you to feel as beautiful as you are because you’re always,  _ always _ knocking me off my feet. I just want to pamper you and for others to see how beautifully dangerous you are.”

Artemis is blushing slightly. “That’s pretty poetic, Dick.” 

Dick blushes, too, a little embarrassed for his outburst. “Well, I can’t say it  _ un-poetically _ ,” he mutters. Then he looks her in the eye. “Will you let me spoil you?” Artemis looks unsure. “It’ll be fun! We can make a day out of it! Spa, salon, dress shops–”

“Dress shops?!”

“Yeah!” Dick feels bubbly. “Get you a gown that will make everyone stare, but also tells people that if they touch without permission it’ll be the last thing they do.” 

Artemis blinks a couple times. “Okay, I may like the sound of that.” Dick smiles. She takes a moment, taking a sip of her wine before asking thoughtfully, “Is there any way to get something I don’t need to wear underwear with?” 

Dick’s smile falters for a second, lust racing through him and his throat going dry. He swallows and nods once, barely restraining himself from nodding a billion times. “Yeah, uh-huh. That can be arranged, I’m sure.” His voice sounds a little strained. He takes a sip of his water.

Artemis laughs outright, setting her glass down. “Wally gets a little stupid when he realizes I’m going commando.” 

Dick squints at her. “Are you trying to kill him?” 

She laughs again. “Not purposely,” she admits, shrugging. “And he’ll be fine, just confused for a couple of days.” 

Dick can’t help the laugh that escapes him. “Okay, it’s not like I will say no to that.” 

Artemis smirks. “Do you get a little stupid as well?” 

Dick snorts. “Perhaps, but you’ll never know for sure.” He claps his hands. “Now, I didn’t invite you out to just wine and dine you.” He reaches under his chair for the black box with a blood-red ribbon that he hid before Artemis arrived. 

Artemis’ eyes go wide and her mouth falls open when she sees the gift in Dick’s hand. She starts shaking her head before Dick can even hand it over. “Dick, I can’t accept anymore! You’re already buying dinner and the clothes and I can’t take anymore,” she protests.

Dick smiles, putting the gift on the table between them. “Arty, all that other stuff is selfish, I swear. I mean, if you think you’re going to the spa alone, you’re delusional.”

“Don’t you try to pull that on me, Dick. You know what I mean… you don’t have to do all this.” She gestures towards the table.

Dick places his hand on her arm, rubbing his thumb over the skin where her shirt ends. “Trust me, it’s all selfish. This–” he puts a hand on the box “–is something just for you. Not for me, or Wally, or all three of us together. I know I’m probably going overboard, but I want to do this. I’ll be better in the future, but let me spoil you just this once, okay?” 

She bites her lip, eyeing the box warily. Dick can see her weighing the pros and cons of accepting the gift now. He can make all the promises that he won’t do so much next time, but the reality is that he can’t help but want to spoil people he cares for. It’ll be hard to dial back, and she knows it, too. She shifts in her seat. “Okay.” Dick perks up. “Don’t get too happy, this is just this one time, okay?”

Dick nods. “Okay, yes.” 

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but… you know…”

Dick squeezes her arm. She knows Artemis doesn’t like handouts, and sometimes a gift can feel like that. “I know. I’ll be better, but I have to get it out of my system first.” 

Artemis sighs like she doesn’t believe Dick. He doesn’t blame her. It’s not just his desire to spoil, but also that he gets so excitable. And Wally won’t try to stop him. Really, they’re a disaster together, but they want Artemis to know that they care for her. 

She hesitantly reaches for the gift, dragging it across the table to sit in front of her. Dick watches excitedly, putting his hands in his lap. She fiddles with the ribbon for a few seconds, Dick staying quiet so he doesn’t rush her, and then pulls, undoing the neat bow. She takes a deep breath then flips off the lid of the gift and pushes the tissue paper aside in the same move, like she wants to do this quickly before she changes her mind. 

When she spots what’s nestled in the pink tissue paper, her mouth falls open and Dick’s smile grows bigger. “Dick,” she says softly, reaching into the box and pulling her gift out with reverence. “I can’t accept this.” 

“Yes, you can,” Dick argues. “What would  _ I _ do with a knife like that? I got it customized just for you.” 

“Dick!” She’s trying to sound firm, but she hasn’t been able to tear her eyes away from the dagger in her hand. Dick feels a little smug; he knows she likes it. It’s a pretty, pretty dagger: a blood-red blade made of some sort of crystal mineral that darkens in some spots along the edge of the blade to look almost black, connected to a customized hilt of material similar to bone. It looks simple, but the handle is carved into a practical hold. It’s perfectly ergonomic and Artemis is holding it like it’s an extension of her arm. “Dick!” she says again, louder. 

“I know, I know,” Dick laughs, holding up his hands. He watches her for another second, letting her face get burned into his memory. Then he speaks, “I can’t remember the material exactly, but it’s some non-terrestrial mineral. The blade, that is. Closest thing on earth, or known thing, is obsidian. Sharp as hell and dangerous in the wrong hands. Or right hands, depending on how you look at it. Wally thinks it’s decorative, some red crystal I paid someone to shape, with maybe one or two uses, but mine has yet to dull.”

Artemis’ eyes flick to him for a moment. “Yours?” she asks, then goes back to admiring her gift. 

“Yeah, I have a blue one, definitely not as pretty as this one, and it cuts through body armor like butter. Well, the lighter stuff.”

Her eyes go wide and he has all her attention now. “And you haven’t needed to sharpen it?” 

Dick shakes his head. “Nope.” 

Artemis continues to look at him. He can’t describe the look on her face, but he’s feeling suddenly shy. “You like it?” he asks, needing to hear her say it. He was so sure moments ago, but the longer she stares, the more unsure he feels. 

Artemis calmly puts the dagger back into the box, careful with it, treating it like it’s made of glass. Dick watches curiously and nervously. Once the blade is settled, Artemis grabs onto Dick’s head with both hands and leans across the table, planting a very firm kiss against his lips. Dick’s arms flail out and his eyes go wide in surprise. Before he can kiss her back, she pulls back and says, “Yes, I fucking love it, Dick. It’s… it’s perfect.” 

Dick relaxes, letting out a deep breath. “Good. Good. That makes me really happy.” 

She kisses him again, softer this time and lingering. Dick actually has time to kiss her back before she pulls away again. “Thank you, Dick.” 

Dick can feel himself blushing from her sincerity. He puts his hands over hers and leans into her touch. “You’re welcome, Artemis.” She gives him another brief kiss before she’s back in her seat, knife in her hand again and examining it excitedly. Dick can’t help the smile that breaks across his face. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight.” 

Artemis snorts. “I would, usually, but this is so cool that I don’t want to put up anymore pretense in case you actually take it back.” 

Dick laughs. “Fair enough.” He watches her expertly handle the knife, like she’s had it for years. Dick knows that a well-built knife can be an extension of your arm, feel just as natural as your hand. The way she’s handling it looks like half maneuvers for practicing close combat and Dick’s heart warms. Then he gets an idea. “Hey, if you want,” he says, her eyes snapping to him, “we can zeta to Gotham City and make use of the range in… that I have at home.” Artemis stares at him. “You can test out your new toy and then we can do the spa day in Gotham.” 

Artemis perks up. “Your place… in Gotham City? The… gym you have there?” Dick nods. They can’t really speak openly about it, but he’s offering to take her to the Batcave. Artemis’ eyes light up. “Now  _ that  _ sounds like a good date idea. Can we go now?” 

Dick chuckles, nodding and stands up, going around the table to help Artemis pull her chair out. “Of course we’ll go as soon as we can. I know it’s going to be hard to drag you away from all the toys.” 

Artemis quickly packs her knife back into the box and stands. “Toys?” she asks excitedly, putting the lid back on the box and carefully tucking it under her arm. 

Dick smirks. “You think I’d invite you to the… gym and only let you try out one thing? I’m not cruel.” 

Artemis’ eyes sparkle and she bounces in place. “What are we waiting for?” 

This time, Dick kisses Artemis first. He can’t help it; she looks so adorable with her excitement. She hums and relaxes slightly into the kiss. He pulls back, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Just let me get the bill and we’ll be on our way.”

Artemis makes a squeaky noise that Dick knows she’ll deny she ever had the ability to produce and rushes off to the door. Dick smiles after her and finds a waiter, handing over his credit card and making sure to leave an exorbitant tip. Artemis is waiting next to the door, shifting from foot to foot. Dick’s chest fills with warmth at the sight. There’s also excitement bubbling inside him: he’s missed having Artemis on the Team and it’ll be nice to see her in action again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this! i thought it was really cute! not a lot of action just yet, but it's coming!
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more real time updates! Or just to talk with me!
> 
> please, please leave a comment or a kudos! Let me know this is worth continuing!


	4. Target Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back at the Batcave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Yay! More characters! Yay! I hope I got everything formatted right, but i wanted to get something out for the weekend and i am currently running late! 
> 
> Some Astrid/Dick stuff still! They are still technically on their date!
> 
> enjoy!!

[FEB 14, 1631 EST: GOTHAM CITY]

They go from the restaurant to a zeta tube to Gotham City. It’s been a while since Artemis has visited. She makes a mental note to call her mother soon. Artemis has gotten so busy with school and Dick and Wally that keeping in touch with her mother has fallen to the wayside. Maybe she’ll visit her instead of just giving her a phone call; she’s still in the zeta system after all. 

The Gotham air feels familiar, damp and cold, the whole world seemingly under a blanket of clouds. It’s definitely a far cry from the sunny California that she was in seconds ago. It’s been a while since she’s used a zeta tube, but the quick change of environment feels oddly familiar, almost comforting. Dick is already on his cell phone, muttering something while leading Artemis by the hand to a busy sidewalk. She knows better than to tempt fate by staying in an alley in Gotham, even in the middle of the day, but it’s a little odd she’s letting herself be led anywhere. Today she can handle being treated like a kid because she understands that they’re on a deadline. Dick needs to be ruthlessly efficient so Artemis isn’t late for her date with Wally. 

He stops suddenly, people walking around them and grumbling, but Artemis hardly pays them any mind. “Sorry about that,” Dick says, flashing her a charming grin. “I just have to finish setting stuff up. The spa stuff and calling the place where Bruce gets his tuxes; they have a beautiful selection of gowns, but they require an appointment.”

Artemis smile, wanting to protest but she can’t bring herself to when she sees the bright light in Dick’s eyes. He’s too cute for his own good. “That sounds good, but you better not back out on your other promise. I know that there’s an entrance in your gym, but we are in the middle of Gotham. Better not be taking me straight away to get dolled up, I have a knife you know.” 

Dick chuckles and blushes. “Yeah, sorry about that. B is pretty anal about who has access to that entrance. Don’t worry, I have Alfred coming to pick us up. We’ll be there in no time.” Dick looks a little flustered giving his explanation, but Artemis really doesn’t mind. She understands the Batman’s paranoia and isn’t offended by it anymore. And although she may not have direct access to the cave, she still gets to go to it. That’s still really cool.

She smiles at Dick and gives him a sweet kiss. Dick blinks at her for a few seconds. “What was that for?”

“A thank you.” 

He blushes. “I haven’t even done anything yet.” 

Artemis shakes her head. “You have, thank you, Dick.” 

Dick is saved from having to respond by a sleek town car pulling up to the curb in front of them. Alfred exits from the driver’s side, even though he’s really not supposed to park where he is, and greets them over the car. “Miss Artemis, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Hey, Alfred,” she smiles, waving. “It’s good to see you, too.” 

Alfred nods and moves like he’s going to walk around the car. “Let me get this one,” Dick says, opening the back door. Alfred pauses. “You’ve always told me to try and be a gentleman.” 

Alfred does that thing where he’s smiling but not smiling and nods. “Very well, Master Dick. Just this once.” 

“You are a prince among men,” Dick responds. Alfred makes an undignified snorting noise, but no one comments on it. Artemis has to hide her smile behind her hand as Alfred gets back into the car. “After you, darlin’,” Dick says, bowing and holding the door open. 

Artemis snorts and gets into the back, scooching to the far side so Dick can follow in behind her. They buckle up and settle in next to one another, Artemis putting her gift on her lap. She finds Dick’s hand with hers and laces their fingers together, keeping their hands below Alfred’s line of sight. Dick smiles bashfully and squeezes her hand. “Master Dick,” Alfred says, drawing their attention back to him. He’s already seamlessly merged back into traffic. Artemis doesn’t know how he does it. “I assume you’ll want to go directly to the cave.” 

Dick beams. “If that wouldn’t be too much trouble.” 

“Of course not, Master Dick. Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?” 

“Would we be able to borrow you for a few hours tonight? We have some appointments.”

“Dick,” Artemis chides. They can drive themselves. Legally, too. They don’t need to be chauffeured around. 

“Not to worry, Miss Artemis,” Alfred cuts in. “My schedule is free tonight and I’d be more than happy to help. Will it be a late dinner for you then?” 

“Reservations, Alfred. No need to cook anything for us,” Dick lies smoothly, and it’s not even a full lie. It’s remarkable. Artemis is just as good, but talent recognizes talent. Although Alfred has a twinkle in his eye that suggests that he knows more than he’s letting on. Dick, Wally, and Artemis haven’t told anyone about their arrangement yet. It feels like something too awkward to try and explain, but Artemis is pretty sure that Dick couldn’t keep this hidden from Bruce and, by extension (or would it be the other way around?), Alfred. But Bruce and Alfred are pretty chill. Artemis is sure they won’t say anything unless it becomes necessary. 

“Of course,” Alfred drawls.

“You’re the best!” chirps Dick. 

“Thank you, sir,” Alfred responds, sounding almost amused. 

Artemis stifles a laugh. She doesn’t know why, but she always wants to laugh after watching Alfred interact with his charges. Dick squeezes her hand again and her smile widens. She wonders if Dick thinks he’s still fooling Alfred. He shouldn’t think that with those stupid, adorable faces he makes. 

They drive through a tunnel and then they’re in the cave in the next moment. Artemis is in awe, face pressed into the glass. She sees a massive computer, display cases, an assortment of weapons, just so much! She’s practically vibrating with energy, barely resisting the urge to throw the car door open and run off to explore by herself. She has more dignity than that. She’s pretty sure. 

She doesn’t pretend to contain herself when Dick opens the door for her, rushing out and standing next to the car in open-mouthed awe. “This place is amazing!” she yells, voice echoing back to her with the chittering of bats. “I can’t believe you train here!” 

Dick shrugs and Artemis barely resists the urge to punch him. Sure the cave is probably more modern  _ today _ , but she’ll bet good money that a nine year-old Dick Grayson trained here. It’s a far cry from whatever place Sportsmaster commandeered to pit her and Jade against one another. She shakes her head, refusing to allow Sportsmaster to ruin this night. She’s in the mother-freaking Batcave! Not many people get this honor. “Come on,” Dick says, touching her elbow. “I’ll lend you some clothes if you want to do something more dynamic.”

Artemis smirks, reining in some of her awe. “Oh? You got a nice catsuit for me?” she asks, following Dick into another room that she didn’t even notice before now. Turns out it’s a locker room. 

Dick laughs as he leads her to a locker with the Nightwing label on it. She smiles at him. “The catsuit is for me, Arty,” he says. “You know I got the ass for it.” 

Artemis gasps dramatically. “Are you saying I  _ don’t  _ have the ass for it?”

Dick snorts. “Absolutely not.” He rifles through some clothes, pulling out what looks like a shirt with the sleeves cut off and some big basketball shorts. “I’m saying that I use my ass as a distraction. You don’t need that. All you have to do is show off your arms.”

Artemis raises an eyebrow. “You like my arms?” 

“Duh.” 

Artemis laughs and takes the clothes he’s offering her. She puts her gift down on a bench and starts stripping. Dick turns back to his locker, pulling out some sweats and a long sleeve shirt. Artemis changes quickly, excited. Dick must pick up on her excitement because he picks up his pace, only giving Artemis a few short seconds to admire the scarred skin on display. She looks at her exposed arms, seeing white scars from her hero days. They’re mostly faded and can only be seen if you’re really looking for them. Seeing them fills her with a sense of longing. Her fingers itch for her bow and quiver, palms suddenly too empty. 

“You ready?” Dick asks, breaking her from her thoughts. 

“Shoes?” she asks, motioning to her bare feet.

Dick frowns. “Yeah, that’d be a good idea for the range. We should have some extras.” He disappears for a few moments, returning with some sort of running shoe/water sock combination in black. “No socks needed, completely breathable.” They’re surprisingly light in her hands and it doesn’t feel like she’s wearing shoes when she slips them on. 

“Wow. These are really light. Did you guys make them?” She wouldn’t put it past the bats. If these shoes were on the market, she’s sure she would have heard about them. Trust the bats to keep the good stuff for themselves. She wonders if she can sneak them out. 

Dick smiles. “Grab your new toy, we don’t have a lot of time.” 

“Actually,” Artemis says, wrestling with the elastic holding half her hair up, “can you grab it? I need to deal with my hair.” 

“Sure.” Dick grabs the dagger from the box and Artemis’ breath catches at the sight of it again. It’s so pretty and she can’t wait to test out its deadliness. It probably is one of the best gifts she’s ever received (sorry, Wally). She finds herself watching Dick closely, like he might try to steal it. Dick leads the way while Artemis combs her fingers through her hair. All she has is the small elastic for the half-do, so she has to untangle it enough to get it into a braid. 

By the time they get to a small indoor range, Artemis has her hair tied back and her fingers are itching to snatch the dagger back. As if he can read her mind, Dick carefully offers her the handle. Artemis takes it with a grateful smile, mindful of the blade. “I’ll set up some targets for you,” he says, but Artemis is already focused on her weapon again. Dick said it was like obsidian? She scrapes it over her top of her index fingernail, a thin ribbon slicing away easily. Her breath catches. That’s  _ really _ sharp. 

Dick pops up at her side, beaming. “Okay, so I have a few tests that I think you’ll like. First off, classic throwing targets.” He points in one direction. Sure enough, there’s a classic target, but instead of red and white, it’s the classic Nightwing blue and black. Artemis smiles at it. Dick brandishes a remote and clicks a button.”Second, moving targets.” The targets starts floating. “There’s a few intensity levels, too.” He presses another button and it stops mid-air. “Third, a regular dummy.” He waves his hand to a mannequin looking thing with a crudely drawn frowny face on it. Artemis laughs out loud at the sight of it. “Practice all those kill shots. Don’t worry, nanobots. Heals itself.” Artemis’ amusement is replaced with awe. No way. “And finally: four.” He clicks another button and the dummy falls into a fighting stance. Artemis’ mouth falls open. “He moves, too. Not well, mind you, but he can fight at a low level.” 

“That’s amazing!” she says. 

Dick shrugs, clicking another button and the dummy stands straight. “We’re working on making the AI better, but not too good.” 

Artemis rolls her eyes, deciding to ignore commenting on that. “Let’s start with something stationary. I need to get a feel for the weight before I do anything fancy.” 

Dick smiles. “Let’s get started.”

* * *

[FEB 14, 1720 EST: THE BATCAVE]

Artemis loves her new dagger. It didn’t take long to understand the weight and she was flipping and hitting moving targets in no time. It isn’t long before she’s moved on to the dummy. She works fast, slicing and cutting major arteries with a speed that has even Dick impressed. And she may be showing off a bit, too, if she’s being honest. But she doesn’t want to be the only one doing stuff… anymore. Reluctantly, she stores her knife and asks if Dick would like to spar. 

“Why?” Dick asks, looking confused. “I know you’re not done yet.”

Artemis shrugs, not bothering to deny it. “You’ve already changed and we may as well… play,” she says suggestively. “Unless you don’t want to.” 

Dick chuckles. “Are you talking sparring or playing?” 

“Why can’t it be both?” she counters. 

“That  _ is _ a good point,” he concedes, putting an arm around Artemis’ shoulder and leading her from the range. “Mats are over there.” He points to a corner of the main cave. It’s kind of hidden, tucked into a corner. “I’ll take your present, put it in my locker and you can go and stretch. No shoes on the mat.” 

“Kay,” Artemis says, handing over the knife carefully and then heading over to the mats, humming to herself, hands feeling strangely empty. She rubs her hands on the shorts she’s wearing as she approaches the mats. Just off the mat, she toes off her shoes. Then she sits on the mat and starts stretching her legs. The shoes were so light that they were almost invisible, so Artemis keeps on wiggling her toes, expecting to feel fabric. 

Dick joins her moments later, jogging in place to warm up his muscles first. “So I assume we’re just grappling. No weapons?” Dick asks, pulling his leg back to stretch his quads. 

Artemis stands, shaking out her legs. “Yep,” she says, nodding, pulling one arm across her chest to stretch her shoulder. She shuffles a little closer, so she can feel his body heat. She cocks out a hip, bumping him lightly. “You know,” she says, smiling when Dick is knocked off balance, “some good old-fashioned  _ hand-to-hand combat.” _ She winks. 

Dick laughs, a blush staining his cheeks. “You’re...uh… kinda working me up here.”

Artemis smirks. “You’re the one who gave me the sleeveless shirt.” She uncrosses her arms and flexes. Dick’s eyes lock on the muscle. “If I manage to take you down… well,  _ I’m  _ not currently Nightwing.” 

Dick smiles and leans forward for a small kiss. “Trust me, even if I lose, I’m not losing.” 

“Perv,” she jokes, jumping away and bouncing on her toes. “Are you ready? Come on, we don’t have a lot of time.” 

“Okay, okay,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “Light before we get into it, okay?”

Artemis sighs dramatically, rolling her eyes, bringing her arms up, “Whatever you say, Old Man.”

Dick gapes. “You’re older than me!” 

Artemis laughs and lunges half-heartedly at Dick, almost catching him. He jumps to the side and they get going. 

They jump around each other, laughing and teasing, Artemis sometimes getting a good pinch on Dick’s behind that makes him jump with a squeak. It’s almost easy to do so, but she’s not sure Dick is used to an opponent using that particular move and it may be throwing him off. She’s missed this: sparring and having fun. It’s like stepping into a well-worn pair of jeans, ones that were misplaced and you find yourself pleasantly surprised that they still fit. She can’t remember a time that she sparred so freely. Dick seems to be having a good time, too. 

Somehow, like second nature, when Dick tosses a punch, she latches onto it, jumping up and taking him down with her thighs around his neck. They land kind of hard, Artemis with her thighs around his ears, and they freeze, panting. Then they both start laughing. She leans forward on both hands, Dick lying underneath her, his hands on her thighs. “What did I say about taking it easy?” he asks between laughs. 

“Sorry, Old Man,” Artemis laughs. “I forgot how delicate you are.” 

“Well, it’s good to know you haven’t lost it,” Dick says, calming down and relaxing. “Still pretty good considering how long you’ve been out of the game.”

Artemis looks away from him, heart squeezing in her chest. Sure, she and Wally retired from the life, but she still trains like she could go back any day. She’s not training as often as she would if she were active, but at least three times a week on top of whatever class she’s registered in. Wally knows. He doesn’t like it, but they don’t talk about it. Whenever he asks her where she’s going, she’ll say the class, but he knows it’s not true. It’s like how she doesn’t mention how he goes once a month to the middle of the desert to run. “Muscle memory,” she offers in a tone that tells Dick that he shouldn’t pry anymore.

“Makes sense,” he says, like he didn’t accidentally discover a landmine. “Now, are we going to continue or do you want to chill?” 

Artemis sits back and observes Dick. All she can see of him is his face and his hands where they’re holding onto her thighs. She hums, stroking her chin and staring down at him. “I don’t know. I kind of like the way you look there.” 

“Between your legs?” 

She nods, feeling flushed, remembering what it felt like to have Wally there earlier. “Yeah, definitely.” She runs her fingers through his hair, pushing it back. “Makes your hair look nice.”

Dick smiles, sharp. “Now, I may have believed that if you were looking somewhere other than my mouth.” Artemis hums, still playing with his hair. “Makes me wonder if you already got another gift from Wally?” 

Artemis can feel herself blushing.  _ “Someone _ told him about his tongue. You don’t think he wouldn’t immediately use that information.” 

Dick smiles again, white teeth on display. “Doesn’t sound like you’re complaining there, Arty. In fact,” he massages her thighs, “I would go so far as to say that you might’ve enjoyed it.” 

“Of course I did. Wally may be a little clueless, but he’s a fast learner.” Dick snickers at the unintended pun. Artemis rolls her eyes. “And I  _ know _ that you wouldn't have said anything unless you’d cashed in on that, too.” 

Dick looks away nonchalantly, although he can’t look too far from the position he’s in. “It may have been one of my gifts.” 

Artemis laughs. “Did you enjoy it?” 

“As much as you did, I’m sure.” The massage he’s giving her is starting to push up her shorts. She raises an eyebrow and he keeps on pushing up the fabric. “I probably won’t be as good as Wally, but if you want, I’m willing.” 

Heat flashes through Artemis’ stomach. “Don’t sell yourself short, Dick. You know what you’re doing.” 

Dick beams. “I do, do I?” 

“I’m not going to repeat it,” Artemis scowls. 

Dick laughs. “It was worth a shot. Now, I am very, very happy that you’re wearing such baggy shorts.” 

“You’re the one who gave them to me,” Artemis says as Dick pushes the shorts up and to the side. Artemis shivers. “Did you plan this?” 

“Didn’t plan,” Dick hums. “Probably more… hoping.” Artemis laughs and helps Dick push the layers she’s wearing to the side. “And I have to admit–” Artemis shudders, his breath tickling over her, “–I do kind of like it here, too.” Artemis chuckles and settles over Dick’s mouth. 

He starts with some kissing, some nuzzling. Artemis groans, grinding down. She can feel heat pooling in her stomach, spreading through her limbs. He continues to kiss and tease and Artemis tries not to push down too hard, keeping her hips still with effort. Then he starts to use his tongue and she can’t control her hips anymore. She grabs onto Dick’s hair with her free hand and is bearing down, moving quickly towards orgasm. Wally may be able to vibrate, but he isn’t the only one who knows how to use a tongue. Dick is  _ very  _ dexterous, able to pull all sorts of maneuvers that leave Artemis shaking. “Dick,” she pants, legs starting to shake. “Fuck.” She’s getting close, but has she been spoiled by Wally? Does she need a tiny bit of vibration to get over the edge? 

Without warning, she’s flipped onto her back. She yelps at the sudden movement, but settles. Dick pulls back, panting. “You feeling it?” 

“I  _ was.” _

Dick chuckles. “Okay, okay. Got the message.” He wipes the bottom of his face with the back of his arm and leans down. Not where she wants though. He pushes

up the shirt she’s wearing a couple of inches and kisses the skin there. 

Artemis shivers. “You’re getting a little cold,” she teases, leaning back, comfortable.

Dick snickers. “Oh no, I’m not. I’m just leaving some gifts for Wally to find later.” 

“Oh?” she asks then she feels Dick sucking a mark into the skin by her belly button. “Oh!”

“Yeah, but not just here. May I?” he asks, pushing the bottom of her shirt up slowly. 

“Yeah,” Artemis pants, watching him. He pushes the shirt up under her chin, exposing her chest. He leans down and sucks marks into the top of her breasts, where her bra doesn’t cover. It almost tickles. 

While he’s paying attention to her chest with his mouth, his fingers are teasing her through her underwear. Artemis hums, hips flexing. She wants to push for him to go faster, but she also wants to savor it. Maybe a little selfishly if she’s being honest. Between school and work, Artemis doesn’t have a lot of free time and Dick is busy running the Team and doing his Nightwing thing. They rarely get to spend any time together. And they always have so much fun when they’re together. At least her and Wally live together: even if they don't spend much time together, they see each other every day. 

Dick kisses her under her ear, bringing her back to the moment. “What are you thinking about? You seem to be a million miles away.” 

Artemis puts a hand on his jaw and turns him so she can look into his eyes. “Just thinking about how we don’t spend enough time together.” Dick blinks at her. “Not expecting that, huh?” she asks. 

“Not at all,” he laughs. “Who knew you were so sappy?” 

Artemis snorts. “Slander, I say.” 

“No, just sweet.”

“Whatever. You’re slacking.”

“Oh? I gotta do all the work?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

Artemis smiles and kisses the corner of his mouth. “We can always work out a bartering system.” 

“Oh?” Dick perks up. “And what do I get in exchange?”

“Depends on how good you do.” 

“No pressure or anything,” Dick laughs. Artemis laughs along, but it quickly turns breathless when Dick starts nibbling on her neck. He remembers all those good spots, and uses them mercilessly. 

“No hickies on my neck, Dick. I can’t believe I have to keep on reminding you two about that.” 

Dick chuckles. “Whoops. I’ll make it up to you.”

Artemis rolls her eyes. “You guys are a couple of vampires, I swear.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he says then he pushes a finger into her vagina. Artemis gasps, hips flexing. “There we go,” he hums. 

“Dick,” Artemis pants. Dick thrusts his finger in and out, building up the pace slowly. Artemis groans, head falling back. Dick goes back to kissing her neck and chest, eventually pushing her bra up so he can focus on her nipples. She moans at the attention, hands tangling in Dick’s hair. 

Every now and then, Dick will, gently of course, tease her nipple with his teeth, making her twitch. She loves the attention. Then he pushes in a second finger, moving his hand with more purpose. Artemis whines, eyes closing in pleasure. Then she feels Dick kiss down her body. She can’t help but moan the closer he gets to the place between her legs. She’s shaking with anticipation, turned on, but not as lost as she was earlier. 

“Wow, look at that,” Dick says.

Artemis blushes to the roots of her hair. “Don’t, Dick. You know I–ah!– get embarrassed,” she pants, refusing to open her eyes. 

“Okay, okay, I won’t talk then, just admire silently.” 

Artemis opens her mouth to reply, but Dick’s mouth joins his fingers and she forgets what she was going to say. Instead, she spreads her legs wider and pulls hard on Dick’s hair. He hums, mouth attached to her lips and tickling pleasantly. “Dick!” she cries, loving and hating how turned on she feels. It’s almost like she’s out of control. Although she knows she’s safe with Dick. 

He moves his fingers out to massage against her labia, his tongue moving to her entrance and pushing in. She cries out, close. “Dick! I’m–Please!” she yells. 

He rubs a little harder and sometimes his fingers slip inside alongside his tongue. “Ah, Fuck,” she curses, her legs closing around Dick’s head, keeping him close. “Dick–I–!” Her thighs tense as her orgasm surges through her. Dick continues to pump his fingers, milking the pleasure for as long as he can. “Dick, Dick, Dick, Dick,” she chants, head falling back. 

It feels like it takes forever for the pleasure to finally wane and when it does, Artemis flops onto her back, boneless. Dick relents when she flops down, pulling his fingers out and sitting back, a smirk on his face. His chin is a little wet. “I take it I did good?” he asks. 

Artemis laughs, covering her eyes with her arm. “I think you’re a good enough detective to figure that out.” 

Dick kisses parts of her neck and starts putting her clothes back into place. “I can, but it’s always good to get feedback.” 

She huffs. “Yes. You have blown my mind,” she deadpans.

Dick snorts. “What an honor. Was it better than Wally?” 

She shrugs. “Can’t compare the two. Like them both equally.” She peeks at him from under her arm. “That’s like comparing ice cream and chocolate. Love both of them, both are awesome desserts, but good in different ways. Besides,” she leans up on her elbows, sure to keep eye contact, “it’s not a competition, Dick.” 

“Not even for fun?” 

“I’m not against a friendly competition,” she concedes, “but if we do, we gotta have Wally here, to give him a chance to fight.” 

Dick laughs. “Okay, alright.” He wipes his hands on his sweatpants and the bottom of his face with the end of his sleeve. “You don’t happen to have the time?” He looks around. 

Artemis is half paying attention. Her eyes have followed Dick’s hands and he’s still very hard in his sweatpants. She reaches out and tugs on his waistband, lying back, pulling Dick with her so he’s hovering over her. His eyes are wide. “I’m recalling that we were bartering,” she says suggestively, a hand trailing over the front of his pants. 

He stutters out a moan and his hips jerk forward. “Yes, but I wasn’t told what I would get in exchange.” 

“How about a little help with this?” she suggests, squeezing his erection through his clothes.

Dick moans. “I think that would be fair.” 

Artemis smiles, throwing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him down, locking their lips together, while her other hand dips into his sweatpants and wraps her fingers around his erection. Dick groans into her mouth, thrusting into her touch. She smirks and starts working up and down the shaft, spreading the moisture pooling at the head to ease her strokes. 

After a bit, Artemis pushes Dick’s pants and underwear down, exposing his cock to the air. Dick whines, hips twitching. Artemis smiles, keeping their mouths together, but moving her other hand down to massage his balls. Dick breaks away with a moan when she starts using both hands. “Shit,” he curses. 

Artemis laughs. “Yeah. You like that, right? You’re pretty wet there.” Dick whimpers, thrusting a little more desperately. Artemis may not be into the dirty talk as much, but Dick loves it and she’ll try. For him. She makes a point to stroke his shaft slowly, aided only by the precome he’s producing. “Feel that?” she breathes. “That’s all you, babe.”

“Artemis,” Dick whines.

“These are your clothes, right?” she asks, meaning her borrowed clothes. Dick nods frantically. “Well, they’re yours. Wanna make a mess out of them?” Dick nods faster. “So why don’t you make a mess?” Dick starts thrusting into her hand hard enough that she has to release the hold she had on his balls. Nothing less sexy than bruised testicles. 

“Dick?” someone asks, who is most definitely  _ not _ Dick or Artemis.

“Shit!” Dick curses, pulling back and tucking himself back into his pants. “Tim,” he continues, turning. And, sure enough, there’s a dark haired teenager standing a few feet from the mats, looking kind of pale. If Artemis had to guess, she’d say that this “Tim” is the current Robin. “What are you doing here?”

“What am  _ I _ doing here? What are  _ you _ doing here?! Having se… in the freaking training area!” the kid yells, blush working up his cheeks. Artemis thinks it’s kind of adorable that he can’t say “sex.” He has to be young. 

“No one should be down here. You’re not allowed to patrol by yourself yet and I’m pretty sure Alfred banned you from the cave because he found out you stayed up for 62 straight hours working on a case,” Dick counters.

“That’s not the point! You’re having…”

“Sex?” Dick suggests, smirk on his face.

_ “That! _ In the training area! I  _ train _ there, Dick! In my bare feet!” 

“I was gonna clean it up!” 

“Are you scared of cooties or something?” Artemis asks, teasing. Dick laughs.

Her talking snaps Tim’s attention to her. The blush he was sporting pales quickly. Almost concerningly so. “Artemis?” he asks, sounding very young and very small. He looks to Dick again. “You’re doing it with Artemis?”

Artemis blushes. Why can’t the kid say “sex” like a normal person? “Why are you being so weird about this?” Dick asks. “I’ll disinfect the mats if that’s what you’re concerned about.” 

“How could you do that to Wally?” Tim asks, sounding like someone told him Santa Claus wasn’t real. 

“Excuse me?” Dick asks.

“How could both of you do this to Wally? I thought you cared about him!” Tim’s eyes go wide. “I’m going to have to tell him. He’ll be devastated–”

“Hold up, Timmy. You’ve got it all wrong,” Dick says.

Artemis feels bad for the kid, but is keeping silent, unsure how she feels with sharing her relationship status with Tim, who is obviously having trouble understanding adult relationships. Or at least non-traditional adult relationships. “What do I have wrong,  _ Dick?” _ he spits. “You two are obviously… _ fucking _ behind Wally’s back. And it’s probably not the first time either. I know how you are, Dick. I can’t believe–”

“Whoa, stop,” Dick interrupts. Tim’s mouth snaps shut. Dick turns to Artemis, eyes pleading. “I’m sorry, but I have to tell him.” Artemis isn’t completely comfortable with it, but the look in Dick’s eyes tells her that Tim’s opinion of him is really important. It takes her a few moments, but then she nods. “Thank you,” he whispers, giving her a gentle peck on the lips. Artemis sighs: that probably wasn’t a good idea. 

Tim makes a sound of disgust. “Tell me what?” He doesn’t sound like he’s ready to listen to anyone. 

Dick doesn’t seem fazed by the tone, or if he is, he doesn’t show it. “First off, that I can’t believe I was able to keep something hidden from you for so long! I barely even tried to!” He sounds delighted and Artemis knows that is not the right direction to go with this. And, sure enough, Tim is glaring. 

Artemis slaps Dick’s arm, hard. “Don’t be a dick, just tell him the truth!”

“Ow! Fine! But do you know how hard it is to keep anything from Tim? He knew who Batman and Robin were  _ before _ becoming Robin. I needed a moment to gloat.” Artemis can see the pride in Dick’s eyes. Again, though, not the right time.

“Dick,” she warns.

“Fine,” he pouts then turns back to Tim. “Wally knows we’re together.” 

Tim blinks, seemingly caught off guard by the admission. “What?” 

“Well, he doesn’t know  _ exactly _ what we were doing, but I know he would’ve liked to know.” Dick turns to Artemis. “Maybe next time we can call him? Sure, he might crash it but–”

“Dick,” she says, fondly exasperated. 

“What?”

“Focus.”

“Right. Right.” He turns back to Tim. “Wally knows because I’m dating Wally, too.”

“Too?” Tim echoes.

“Yeah, I’m dating Wally  _ and _ Artemis. I mean, I thought you knew. And know that you don’t bring casual flings to the cave. I know he’s offworld, but Bruce would murder me if I did that, despite his no-killing rule.” 

Tim looks unsure. “And he wouldn’t for you having…”

“Oh my gosh! Sex!” Dick says. “Sex! S-E-X!”

Tim blushes again. “In the cave?” he continues his question.

Dick shrugs. “A harsh scolding, most likely. Maybe temporary banishment. But he’d get over it. Not like  _ he  _ probably hasn’t–”

“No!” Tim cuts him off. “No, no! Absolutely not!”

Artemis laughs. Dick chuckles. “Fine. But did you really not know? I mean Arty and I have been together three or four months, but I’ve been with Wally for half a year. I thought you had me under surveillance since I moved out.” 

Tim frowns and grumbles. “Alfred made me stop.”

Artemis laughs again. She feels like maybe she should be alarmed that Tim was spying on Dick, but this situation is so absurd that all she can do is laugh. Dick smiles at her. “Now that you know the truth, Timmy, can you keep it a secret?”

Tim blinks. “Why?” 

“Because we don’t want to have to explain our relationship to everyone,” Artemis chimes in. 

“That being said,” Dick says, “I know you have questions, Timmy. I can answer them for you later, but please just keep quiet?”

“Fine, but I have to talk to Wally first, just to be sure.” 

“Okay, but not tonight. Him and Artemis are going on a very special date tonight. Just let Wally have his fun before you start badgering him, okay?”

“Deal,” Tim says, pretty quickly considering how upset he was. “Now I’m going to leave and pretend I didn’t see anything.” He spins on his heel, talking off before Dick or Artemis can respond. That makes sense: he wants to get away, so he’ll agree to almost anything. 

There are a few moments of stunned silence after Tim leave, then they burst out laughing. “I can’t believe that happened!” Artemis says, clutching her stomach.

“That was so embarrassing,” Dick says, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. “I can’t believe Tim, of all people, caught us! That poor kid!” 

Artemis slowly calms down. “It could have been worse,” she giggles.

“How so?”

“You could have been naked.”

Dick chuckles and nods. “True.”

“Or it could have been Bruce who caught us. Or Alfred.”

Dick grimaces and shakes his head. “No. Not gonna think about that!” 

Artemis laughs. “Sorry we got interrupted. You wanna finish?” 

Dick shakes his head. “Not now. A little too skittish about getting caught again. And we should be getting ready soon anyway.” He stands, offering a hand to help Artemis up. She takes it and is lifted to her feet.

They walk together back toward the locker room. “I feel bad that you didn’t get to finish…” Artemis says.

Dick shrugs. “It happens. You shouldn’t feel bad. But if you want to make it up to me, I won’t complain.”

“Later?” she suggests.

“Later,” he agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! so we have the introduction of 2 more characters into this universe! Good ol' Alfred and sweet Tim. Tim, from my understanding in Young Justice, is still a little green and finding himself so i have characterized him as that kind of naive little brother? Idk if it came across and I hope it rings true to his character, as everything I know about Tim Drake is from this show, fanfic of the batfam and sometimes little essays and character analyses that i have stumbled across! Please be gentle with me! <3
> 
> Please, please, please continue to leave comments and kudos! They make me so happy and motivate me to get more out! 
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more updates!
> 
> see ya around!! <3


	5. Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! giving y'all a new chapter! still working on this! i hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> sorry it took so long! August was a sprint and now i'm in the final days of my BFF's wedding and it's just... chaos... but this got done and I thought I should post some more <3

[FEB 15, 1326 PST: PALO ALTO]

Wally has been walking on Cloud Nine all day. He can’t seem to wipe the smile off his face. Last night was one of the best nights of his life. Dick had sent him a suit with instructions on how to put everything on  _ correctly _ (although the handwriting looked a little too neat to be Dick’s). The suit was amazing, tailored to perfection and Wally is excited to have such a piece in his wardrobe. Now he’ll be able to go to fancier places and won’t look like such a geek next to Dick or Artemis. Although, last night when Wally felt super attractive, he probably only looked like a dumbstruck idiot when he saw Artemis. 

Dick had decided to make arrangements so him and Artemis would meet at the restaurant. Wally was in no way prepared for what he saw. Artemis had stepped out of a fancy sports car that Dick had  _ most definitely  _ stolen from Bruce (“borrowed!” he would insist), looking like the entirety of the Wayne fortune and maybe the net worth of a couple royal families, just to be on the safe side. Her dress was a deep shimmery, emerald green, covering her like a curtain of water. The neckline wasn’t as low as one would expect, but her entire back was exposed with a single, dainty chain that swung down the middle, weighed down by a teardrop-shaped green gem. She had a gold clutch, no bigger than her phone, and Wally noticed her nails had been done. Nothing fancy, but cleaned up and painted a nude color that just looked stunning. Then she made eye contact with him and Wally is certain his heart stopped. Sure, her hair and makeup were done, beautifully accentuating her face, but looking into her eyes, he just saw  _ Artemis _ , happy and confident and Wally would never be able to explain how fast his heart filled with warmth or how he survived it. 

He had approached her like he’d never spoken to her in his life. Took him three times to get out “hello” properly. She had smiled at him, amused and indulgent and when Wally finally got out his greeting, Artemis kissed him on the cheek and told him he looked very handsome. He blushed all the way to the roots of his hair, like he’d never received a compliment before. 

Artemis laughed at him, beautiful and happy, and led him inside by the hand. They were led to a small table in the corner, soft candlelight with a bottle of wine for them at the table. Their server informed them of the fixed menu and they ate a delicious five-course meal (more like nine for Wally, but he finished eating the same time as Artemis). 

She had flirted and smiled the whole evening, even shutting Wally’s brain off when she casually mentioned how remarkably comfortable she felt in her dress  _ sans underwear _ . It took everything for Wally to resist spitting the (no doubt expensive) sip of wine all over the table. She checked her phone exactly once, frowning at it, but brushing off Wally’s questions and continuing her flirting and essentially reducing Wally to a stammering, blushing mess by the time they got their coffee. 

Looking back, it’s hilarious to think he felt so confident before he saw Artemis. Sure, his suit fit him perfectly, complemented everything, but he might as well have been wearing a burlap sack next to Artemis. Although knowing that she was there, with him, and seeing some of the more posh, magazine-ready men stare and Artemis not even sparing them a glance… Wally felt special. That was its own rush and he did everything in his power to be worthy to even stand at her side. 

Wally doesn’t remember exactly how they got home: Bruce’s sports car was no doubt back in place and the car that dropped him off left shortly afterward. Honestly, they finished their meal and it was a blur, then they were back at their place. Artemis was the same but different back in their neighborhood, more loose, smiling easier, and teasing Wally to chase her. He pinned her in the bedroom, after shooing Brucely from the foot of their bed and locking the bedroom door behind them. He can’t open doors, but Wally wasn’t taking any chances. 

After that is more of a blur, with a few sharp points of memory. Like when he saw the love bites on her chest and stomach. She laughed and explained what she and Dick had gotten up to in the Batcave. Wally  _ was not _ jealous. No way. Not in a million years. Not like he’s known Dick longer than Dick has known Artemis. Nope. Definitely not jealous.

Then it was just limbs and sweat and moaning… then it was morning and Artemis had kicked him awake (mostly gently) because he’d apparently ripped her dress last night. She was not impressed when he suggested talking to Dick to get it repaired. Then they shared a laugh, Wally making a mental note to talk to Dick himself. 

Then he checked his phone and saw a text from the man himself. It’s a picture of Wally when he first saw Artemis the night before. He looked kind of stupid, but he showed it to Artemis anyway. She laughed but then her smile faded and she said it was too bad Dick couldn’t come. Apparently Dick was planning on surprising him for after dinner. 

Wally felt himself get a little flushed and hoped that next time Dick could join them. For as long as they’ve been together, they have yet to be all three together. They’ve just had bad luck. Both Artemis and Wally work on top of going to school full-time. Dick hasn’t decided what he’s doing next (leaning towards the Gotham Police Academy or Blüdhaven, now that he’s established himself there), but he’s still assisting Robin, Batgirl, and the Team, and he has all his own investigations as Nightwing. Between Gotham and Blüdhaven, Dick is not short of work. From what Artemis tells him, a Nightwing case caught a break the night before and he couldn’t wait for the situation to escalate anymore. Which sucks, but next time.

So Wally has been in a good mood all morning. He went to class and now he’s heading to his favorite coffee shop for a caramel cannoli and coffee before he has to get to work. He has a couple of hours to kill and is humming to himself because the shop will be dead at this time of day, giving him time to get ahead on some of the scientific journals he has saved on his phone. 

He gets to the cafe, a cosy little corner shop with a mix and match of furniture and an eclectic mishmash of knick-knacks. The ladies who own the shop are absolutely sweet and he loves them both. His smile widens when he sees Sarah working behind the counter. She’s a sweet thing, short and plump, with a mess of natural curls and a smile that lights up the room. “Sarah!” Wally greets happily.

“Wally!” she responds, just as enthusiastically, and Wally loves her all the more for matching his excitement. “You want your usual, honey?” 

“Please, and thank you!” Wally chirps, pulling out his wallet and counting out his cash.

Sarah hums happily and starts making his order. “You’re in a good mood today! Something good happen yesterday?”

Wally chuckles and nods. “It was a  _ very _ good day for me yesterday.” 

“Special Valentine’s plans?” she asks, eyebrow raised.

Wally blushes and nods again. “You could say that, I guess.”

Sarah laughs. “Okay, I know when not to pry, although I would love to hear details!” She puts a large mug on the counter and a plate piled with four cannolis. “Here you go, honey.” 

Wally frowns in confusion. He sees three caramel ones and one… triple chocolate? “I only order three usually,” he says. Wally tries to blend in, knowing the three he usually orders may be pushing it, despite how he could eat their whole display without a problem. 

“I know, the fourth is from yesterday’s special.” Sarah winks. “I just had to move them, no charge, hon.” 

Wally chuckles. “You spoil me, Sarah. You’ll have to roll me out of here one day,” he tells her, handing over his money. “Just keep the change, beautiful.” 

Sarah laughs out loud, waving Wally off. “Off with you. Enjoy your coffee.”

“Always do! Thank you!” He picks up his treats. “Oh! And if I don’t see Nehad, tell her I say hi, yeah?” Nehad is Sarah’s mom. She’s just as lovely a woman, with the same smile. She straightens her hair and has a penchant for wearing colorful shirts. Nehad always asks how your day went and she always wants to hear what you have to say. Wally loves seeing her too.

Sarah smiles, “Of course. Now get.” 

He nods and heads for a table tucked into a corner. It’s still well lit, but the angle makes it almost impossible to get a glare on the screen, no matter the time of day. Wally sits with his back to the wall, setting his goodies down in front of him. He sips his coffee as he fiddles with his phone to find an article. He sighs when he finds it, leaning back in his chair. Perfect. Sarah and Nehad really do spoil him here, memorizing exactly how he likes so he doesn’t have to fiddle with it. He smiles to himself, fully prepared to plunge into the article. But he jumps when someone takes a seat across from him.

The store is empty, so there are plenty of empty tables available. Who would just sit with a stranger when they don’t have to? (Wally doesn’t mind sharing with strangers, but they could sit  _ anywhere) _ . Although… “Tim?” he asks, putting down his mug, “What are you doing here? Don’t you have school right now?” 

“School ends at 3:30. It’s 4:30 at home,” Tim says quickly, face serious. “I have something to tell you.”

Wally sits straight up, stomach twisting in fear. “Is everything okay? Did something happen to Dick?” 

“Dick’s fine,” Tim says, almost dismissively.

Wally doesn’t relax. “What the hell, Tim? You can’t just show up out of nowhere, acting like you’ve got horrible news to share. The only reason I can think of you coming to California is because Dick has been really hurt or taken. Don’t fucking scare me like that.” 

“This is serious. No one is hurt, but you might be.”

“Don’t beat around the bush, Tim.”

“Artemis is cheating on you,” he blurts out, a blush staining his cheeks, but he won’t look away. Wally blinks at him. “With Dick,” he adds. “I saw them yesterday. In the cave… and it didn’t look like it was the first time either.” 

Wally admires how unmoving Tim is about this, and appreciates it, but he’s trying not to laugh. Dick got caught with his pants down. He’s  _ never _ going to let Dick live it down. And he’s pretty sure that Dick and Artemis would have come clean if someone caught them, and he’s pretty sure Tim can keep a secret. “Oh really?” he asks casually. “What did you see, exactly?” 

Tim’s blush deepens and he looks away. “They… they were on the sparring mats. And like…” His blush gets  _ darker _ somehow. His voice drops to a whisper, “And she had a hand… she was… it was in his pants.” Now he’s leaning over the table, keeping his voice as low as he can. “And Dick was… it scarred me, Wally. He’s like my brother. And to know that he’s betraying  _ you _ … I can’t understand it.” 

Wally decides to have mercy on Tim. He’s desperate to tease the kid, but Tim obviously can’t wrap his mind around their arrangement and it’s distressing him. And he can tease Dick about it later. Although he doesn’t blame Tim for his confusion: it took Wally a long time to wrap his head around their arrangement, Artemis even longer. “Okay, Tim…” Wally says, adjusting himself in his seat to get more comfortable. “I’m going to be straight with you–” he almost laughs because this situation isn’t  _ straight _ “–I know that Dick and Artemis fooled around yesterday. She told me. And Dick left some…” he trails off, deciding that is TMI. He clears his throat. “Anyway, I knew, kid. And I know because I’m going to tell you what Dick probably told you: I’m dating both of them. Or, we’re all dating each other? It’s hard to explain…”

Tim stares at him for a few seconds. “How?”

Wally shrugs. “I love Artemis. And I really like Dick. I was torn with Artemis because I loved her so much, but I kept on feeling like I was missing out on something and I didn’t want to lose her, so I was honest with her.” Wally chuckles. “It wasn’t easy and I didn’t push for anything, but being able to talk about it made it a million times easier.”

“Don’t you think that’s kind of selfish?” 

Wally winces and Tim looks apologetic. “Maybe, but I don’t regret it. We’re all really happy, Tim.” 

“But doesn’t it hurt Artemis’ feelings? I mean, why wasn’t she enough?” 

Wally can feel his face harden. “Tim, I know you are curious, but do not underestimate how much I love Artemis. It’s insulting.” 

Tim shrinks. “Sorry… I just… it doesn’t make sense.” 

“I get that, Tim,” Wally sighs. “I’m sorry. I care for Dick and Artemis very much and I’m very protective over them and our relationship. I don’t want to speak for Artemis. Maybe we can all get together to explain this to you, if you need. But I’ll tell you what I feel, what I know: Love is not finite. Not for me, and I assume for a lot of people. It isn’t weird to love more than one person and I’m just lucky enough to be able to love both of them. I don’t need to dissect why this works because it’s enough that it does.”

“I still don’t get it.” 

Wally shrugs. “You don’t have to  _ get it _ , Tim. All you have to know is that I’m happy. Dick’s happy. Artemis is happy. We understand our relationship and we care about each other. Isn’t that all that matters?” 

Tim bites his lip and sits back, shoulders hunched. “I… I guess.” 

Wally pushes his cannolis toward Tim. “Here, take one.” Tim grabs a caramel one and nibbles on the end. “Tim.” He looks up. “I do appreciate that you care about me and are looking out for me. You really are a good friend.” Tim’s shoulders relax a little. “I know this may be weird and I understand your concern, but we’re really okay. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Tim mumbles. “Can I complain about Dick doing that where I train?”

Wally laughs. “You can, but you might not get much sympathy because I totally would’ve done the same thing. I mean the Batcave is a place on the sex bucket list.” 

Tim grimaces. “Yeah, no. I’m leaving. I really don’t need those images in my head.” 

“What? You don’t think me and Dick are hot? I mean, Dick and Artemis– _ whew!” _ Wally fans himself exaggeratedly. 

“Bye, Wally!” Tim yells, nearly running out of the shop.

Wally laughs at his retreat. “Bye, Timmy!”

Tim flips him off as he escapes. Wally waves, a bright smile on his face. He tucks back into his treats, opening the journal on his phone. He still has time to relax before he has to go to work. 

* * *

[FEB 15, 2115 PST: PALO ALTO]

It isn’t until Wally gets home after work that his conversation with Tim really hits him. Although it isn’t Artemis’ feelings that Wally is scared will be hurt. It’ll be his own. He walks into his apartment, suddenly tired, greeted by an excited Brucely who looks like he has some excess energy. Wally looks up from the dog to ask Artemis if he’s been walked, but the words die in his throat. Artemis is sitting on the couch, phone pressed to her ear and laughing happily.  _ “Dick!” _ she says, almost scandalized, and Wally suddenly has a hard time remembering when she ever looked like that with him.

Her eyes catch him. “Oh! Wally just walked in! One second,” she says, standing and walking towards Wally. She presses the phone to her chest and leans up, greeting him with a kiss. “Hey, honey. Welcome home.” 

Artemis has a playful attitude and Wally should be happy for that, but his stomach twists painfully and his smile feels tight. “Hey, beautiful,’ he says without thinking.

She smiles and brings the phone back to her ear, saying something to Dick. Then she pulls the phone away again and hits a button, Dick’s voice coming through the phone.  _ “Hey, Wally! Feels like it’s been forever!” _

Wally laughs, but it feels wrong. “You saw me yesterday.” 

_ “ _ **_Forever,_ ** _ ” _ Dick emphasizes.

Artemis laughs. “Now you’re just getting greedy,” she teases. 

For some reason, Wally can’t stand it and kisses her again, cutting off her laugh. It startles her. “It’s good to see you,” he says before she can comment. “But I’m going to bed.” 

She blinks at him. “Bed? Are you sure? Don’t you want something to eat?” 

Wally shakes his head. “No, I ate something at work. Night, babe.” He walks away and into their bedroom before she can respond. He strips down and crawls under the covers

He can hear Artemis through the door once he’s settled.  _ “...must’ve been a rough night at work… yeah. No, he’ll be okay. He really did look tired.”  _ Silence. She must have taken Dick off speakerphone.  _ “I gotta go, Dick… it was good to talk to you.”  _ She sighs.  _ “Well next time you should be there yourself to see it. I can only remember so much beyond how good it felt.” _ She snorts after a moment.  _ “I know, I’m terrible. But I do have to go. Brucely needs a walk… 20 minutes. I’ll jog it. He’s used to walking with Wally.”  _ Another couple moments of silence.  _ “Talk to you soon, Dick.” _

There’s a knock at the door. “Wally?” 

He makes a grunting noise of acknowledgement.

“Brucely still needs a walk. I’ll be back in 20… unless you’d like to come along?” 

He closes his eyes. “Not tonight.”

“Okay. See you soon. Love you.”

Wally’s heart constricts. “Love you, too.” It feels true in his heart but maybe he doesn’t really mean it.

Wally isn’t able to fall asleep by the time Artemis comes back, but he pretends. He doesn’t budge when she crawls in behind him. Doesn’t flinch when she curls around his back, spooning him. 

Artemis’ breathing evens out against the back of Wally’s neck and Wally still can’t fall asleep. He doesn’t know how long he lies there and he can’t pinpoint exactly what has him feeling so awful. He goes over his conversation with Tim in his mind. He told Tim that they’re all happy, but is that true? Artemis and Dick are obviously happy together and, if Wally is being honest, a better match than any other combination of them. He never considered that maybe they’d choose each other over him. 

It’s not like Dick and Artemis haven’t fooled around before, and Wally has slept with both of them, but Dick took Artemis to  _ the Batcave _ . Wally’s been there before, but he wasn’t lying when he told Tim it was on the sex bucket list. Does Dick like Artemis better? And if she chose Dick over him… well, Wally doesn’t have much to offer her. It’s a miracle she agreed to date him in the first place. Seeing how they interact, it’s all too easy to imagine them without Wally dragging them down. 

He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping to force himself to sleep with the motion. Shockingly, it doesn’t work. Artemis sighs and rolls onto her back. Wally takes the chance to look at her. He loves her so much, and he knows that he’s well on his way to saying the “L” word to Dick. He’s actually surprised he hasn’t already done so, but Wally does know when to slow things down. Sometimes. 

Would he be able to just… step away? If they asked him to? 

With a stab to the heart, he knows that answer is “yes.” He wants both of them to be happy and if they decide they’ll be happier without him… well, that’ll suck. But, for now, Wally grabs Artemis’ hand and squeezes. She stirs at the contact, waking slow, but still alert, a habit she hasn’t been able to break yet, but she isn’t tense. Her eyes flutter open halfway and frowns. “Wally? Are you okay?” 

Wally nods and leans over, kissing slack lips. “I’m fine. Just thinking about how much I love you.”

Artemis’ eyes slide closed, a smile on her face. “Sap,” she teases and falls back asleep.

Wally settles next to her, close. He’ll enjoy whatever time he has left with her and Dick. Even if it may kill him when it finally does end.

After all, there are worse ways to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you thought! kudos and comments are always welcome! 
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more real-time updates! It's been a little spotty recently because i've got an overflow of fic and I'm trying to juggle too many limes. 
> 
> thank you for reading!


	6. Confidante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what the title suggests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so............ it's been a while... and it's not that longof a chapter... i will get on my beta for the next chapter to come out sooner.... sorry, but I hope you enjoy! Some plot is finally starting to come back in!!
> 
> this isn't part of the poll thing! that one is only for the 2 HTTYD fics i am working on.... don't judge me... this one will continue to be updated whenever i can update it <3

[FEB 23, 2006 PST: PALO ALTO]

Artemis is enjoying some tea, Brucely’s head in her lap and some soft music on. It’s been a whirlwind of busy for both her and Wally. They hardly see each other and Artemis is worried Wally is going to burn himself out. Tonight is the first night she’s had a few hours to relax. She’s already eaten and cleaned up her dishes and taken Brucely for his walk, and now there isn’t anything she has to do. Wally warned her that he’d be late coming home, something about a lab? To be honest, she was only half paying attention, half focused on her own stuff. She’ll stay up until 11 o’clock. If Wally isn’t home by then, she’ll send him a text. Otherwise, she’ll enjoy the silence. 

She’s scratching behind Brucely’s ear, his tail thumping lazily against the couch, when there’s a soft knock on the door. Artemis frowns, putting her mug on the table and standing. She wasn’t expecting company. 

There’s another knock. She pulls a set of throwing knives from the underside of the coffee table. Wally doesn’t approve of her stashing weapons around the house, but she isn’t about to stop. She tucks the pack into her back pocket, within easy reach and heads for the door. 

She stands to the side of the door, hand on the handle of one of the knives. “Who is it?” she asks.

“Artemis?”

She opens the door without a second thought. That sounded like “–Dick.” 

He looks tired, wan almost. She steps into the doorway, cupping his face gently, knives forgotten. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?” He doesn’t normally drop by without at least sending a text.

“I couldn't sleep,” he says, sighing. He’s leaning into her hands.

Artemis frowns and thinks for a moment. “Why are you trying to sleep now? Wouldn’t you usually be on patrol?” 

Dick shrugs. “I guess I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.”

“Well, come on in,” she says, stepping to the side. Brucely wuffs softly in greeting, still resting on the couch. Dick takes a small detour to pat him on the head. Brucely leans into the touch, eyes closed and tail thumping against the couch. Artemis walks past him to the kitchen. “Want some tea? It’ll take a moment to make.”

She hears Dick slump at the table with a heavy sigh, not answering her question. She would smile, but seeing Dick so exhausted is weird. He’s usually very good at hiding it. Or maybe he gets like this often, but he trusts her enough to let his guard down. She finishes making a mug for Dick, putting it next to his elbow and retrieving her own from the coffee table and joins Dick in the kitchen. Brucely meanders over behind her, settling next to their feet. 

Dick’s lying on his arms, defeated slump to his shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, taking a sip of her tea. 

“I don’t know if I should,” Dick mumbles. 

“Why not? It can’t be classified because I already know everything.”

Dick heaves a sigh and sits up, pulling his mug in front of him. He wraps his hands around it, but doesn’t take a sip from it. “I don’t want to upset Wally.” 

Artemis nods, taking another sip and licking her lips. “So this is about the mission in Bialya.” 

Dick laughs tiredly. “Of course you’d know about that.” He shakes his head with a sigh. “M’gann?” 

Artemis shrugs. “She was excited to work with Karen, Cass, and Babs. She wished that I would go because it’d be a better team-up than the Justice League.”

Dick laughs again, sounding less tired. “I wouldn’t doubt it, but I assume she didn’t tell you about the outcome.” 

“Nope,” she shakes her head. “Knows better than to do that. But I was under the impression that the mission was a success. Why are you losing sleep over it?” 

Dick runs his hand through his hair. “It’s not about that mission, specifically. It’s about what it means for Kaldur’s mission.”

“Oh,” Artemis says, stomach dropping. 

“Yeah, ‘oh,’” Dick nods. “Alpha was a success, but the intel gathered was minimal. Good, but minimal. M’gann read Shimmer’s mind, but she still couldn’t tell us who the Light’s partner is. And Kaldur… he’s been stuck for months and we aren’t any closer to a break.” 

“Is Kaldur in danger?” Artemis asks, her grip on her mug tight.

Dick sighs and rubs his face. “I don’t know. He seems to be stuck in Manta’s hierarchy, not moving down, but unable to move up, or prove to his dad that he’s trustworthy. He thinks it’s because the heroes escaped Melina Island. Made people suspicious. Not that he’s a double agent, thank God, but that he can’t fully commit to Manta because he still cares for the Team.” 

“Dick when we came up with this plan, we knew it would take time before he got to where we wanted him to be,” Artemis says gently. 

“I know. I understand that it would take a while, but he’s been at the same level for too long, even with Manta’s bias towards his son,” Dick says, pulling at his hair a bit. “Kaldur is  _ alone _ , in a hostile environment, being forced to do things so he can feed us information. The longer he stays… either he’ll get caught or he won’t be able to be extracted.” 

Artemis’ eyes go wide. “You really think he could turn to Manta’s side?” she asks. “This is  _ Kaldur  _ we’re talking about!” 

“I know, but the bad guys are almost as paranoid as Batman, especially around an ex-hero.”

“What do you think they’ll make him do to prove himself?” Artemis asks, stomach twisting in fear. Kaldur is one of the most honorable men she knows, but she also knows that honor can be manipulated, twisted, to fit another’s agenda. 

“Something unforgivable, I’m sure,” Dick answers, looking a little green. “Something he won’t be able to come back from, no matter if he succeeds or not.” 

Artemis feels sick to her stomach. The Light is ruthless at worst, uncaring at best. Artemis knows, she barely escaped them. Jade wasn’t so lucky. 

“I don’t know what to do, Arty,” Dick says, slumping and giving her such a sad look. He looks so young. Artemis’ heart breaks for him. Wally and him have told her about Dick’s avoidance of leadership positions, for fear of turning into  _ the _ Batman. Dick has too soft of a heart to be Batman. Not permanently anyway. 

“How about,” Artemis stands, taking Dick’s tea from his lax hold; it’s mostly cold and still full, “we try to get some sleep first?”

Dick frowns. “Are you kicking me out?” 

“Out of that chair and into the bed. Hopefully some rest will clear your head for a solution.” She doesn’t mention that she already has an idea forming in her head. One that’s slowly starting to take shape. 

“I’m not in the mood, Artemis. I’m too worried.” 

Artemis snorts. “Give a guy a hand job that gets interrupted once,” she mutters, Dick blushes, “and his mind stays firmly in the gutter.”

“Hey–” Dick protests.

Artemis cuts his protest off with a kiss, leaning over the corner of a table. “It’s just to sleep, Dick,” she says against his lips. “You need rest, otherwise you’re going to be useless for yourself and everyone else.”

Dick’s shoulders slump. “I know…”

Artemis stands and nudges him with her hip. “Come on. Wash your face, brush your teeth, and get into bed. I need to clean up and I’ll be there in a minute.” 

Dick grumbles about not being a child, but he does as he’s told. Artemis makes quick work of the kitchen, pouring the cold tea down the drain and grabbing two water bottles from the fridge. Brucely is snoring softly under the table. He’ll be okay there. She makes sure to rinse the mugs and the pot the tea was in before heading into the bedroom, water bottles in hand. Dick is standing on the side of the bed, dressed only in a pair of black boxer briefs. She takes a moment to admire the display. Sure they aren’t fooling around, but she can enjoy the sights. “Well?” she says, drawing his attention. “Get in. Right in the middle.”

“Your bed is not big enough for everyone.” 

“We’ll manage. Now get in or I’ll be forced to tuck you in.” 

Dick glares suspiciously. “Why does that sound like a threat?”

Artemis hums and shoves Dick onto the bed. He squawks and flops down, making Artemis laugh. She drops the bottles of water on the bed and wrestles Dick into the center of the bed, tucking the blanket around his shoulders quickly and efficiently. When she’s done, she moves the water bottles to the nightstand and sits on the side of the bed with her back to the headboard. He glares at her, looking no more threatening than a disgruntled four-year-old, tucked in like that. She picks up a book from her nightstand and opens it casually. “I warned you,” she sing-songs. 

“You did,” Dick sighs. “I’m not sure–”

“Shhh, Dick. Can’t you see I’m trying to read?” She shakes her book for emphasis. Dick stares at her. She gives him a soft smile and runs a hand through his hair. “Just relax. If you fall asleep, don’t worry. Tonight is just a night to relax.” She flips the pages in her book exaggeratedly, making a show of “reading.” 

Dick is silent for a while then shifts closer, putting his head against her hip. Artemis reaches down with one hand and starts playing with his hair. The tension seeps out of him with a large sigh. “Thank you, Artemis.”

“I know. I have magic hands.” 

Dick snorts. “You know what I mean.” 

“Get some sleep,” she orders gently, turning her book to the page where she left off. Dick hums and relaxes, his breathing getting deeper and evening out until he’s boneless against her. 

Artemis tries to focus on her book, but she finds it hard. The idea that's been slowly forming is taking on a more tangible shape. Artemis knows the League of Shadows, knows the Light. They are unforgiving, to put it pleasantly, and find bonds of blood to be the most important. Shared blood or spilled blood. Kaldur has already had to do some pretty shady stuff to just  _ get into  _ Manta’s organization, she knows it was hard for him to do. But will they ask Kaldur to spill blood for them? Seems unlikely that they wouldn’t. 

She focuses on Dick again, brushing his hair away from his forehead. He looks so young when he’s asleep. Artemis winces. Dick doesn’t just look young, he  _ is _ young; it’s so easy to forget with how he shoulders so much responsibility almost easily. But very few see this side of him. Very few see just how heavily leadership weighs on him. 

She jumps when the bedroom door opens, jostling Dick, but he settles back into sleep quickly. Wally is frozen in the doorway, eyes wide. “Hey, Wally,” she whispers, a smile on her face, relaxing. 

“Hey,” he whispers back. 

“Dick was… he needed to get out of his head. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Wally steps stiffly into the room, heading for the closet. “I can sleep on the couch.” 

“No, Wally. No couch,” she says firmly. Wally freezes. “Now get over here and give me a kiss.” Wally does so, but he feels frozen. Artemis frowns, catching the hem of his shirt to keep him close. “Is everything okay?”

He smiles, strained. “Of course. Long day, is all.”

Artemis doesn’t believe him, but she doesn’t want to get into it now. Not when Dick needs sleep so badly. “Okay, well get into bed then. You need rest. And we’re going to have to cuddle close tonight.” She releases his shirt, making sure to brush over the skin above his jeans. 

“Okay…” He steps back and undresses slowly, leaving his clothes on the floor and ducking out of the room. He leaves through the door to the kitchen, so she hopes he’s taking the long way around to brush his teeth. Artemis starts counting in her head, to be sure that he’ll be coming back into the room.They do keep their spare blankets and such in the closet next to the bathroom, so he could just stay out in the living room. 

Thankfully, he’s back in four minutes. He still looks stiff, but he crawls into bed without a word. She reaches over Dick and ruffles Wally’s hair. He turns to look at her. “Night, Wally. Love you.”

He relaxes, a smile on his face, one that looks genuine this time. “Love you, too.” He rolls over and cuddles around Dick. Dick relaxes even further. Artemis smiles. She watches them for a bit, Wally not taking that long to fall asleep. Her heart fills with contentment at the sight. She likes having her boyfriends together, even on their small bed. It’s a queen, but Wally and Dick are broad, muscular guys; not like Superman or Batman, but they do take up a fair amount of space. 

She carefully extricates herself from the bed to do her own nightly routine. Neither of her boyfriends stirs. And isn’t that a weird thought?  _ Boyfriends. _ Boyfriend with an ‘s.’ Multiple. She would never have expected more than one at a time, or if she did, that they would know about each other (if she’s being honest). Five years ago, hell,  _ one _ year ago, if someone had told her that she would be dating  _ two _ guys, she would have laughed in their face. Now it’s hard to picture how things would be different. Surprisingly, this arrangement feels natural, despite what… well, most of society would try to tell them. 

She finishes brushing her teeth and washing her face and heads back into the bedroom. Quietly, she strips out of her clothes, stashing her knives on the nightstand for now. She’ll put them back in place tomorrow. She shrugs on her trusty nightshirt and gets under the covers on her side of the bed. Dick is still facing her, Wally spooned around his back, both breathing deeply. Artemis smiles and snuggles into Dick’s chest, putting his arms around her. He squeezes her, but otherwise doesn’t stir. Artemis sighs and closes her eyes, the last thought before she falls asleep is that she’s probably going to overheat with two space heaters under the blankets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more real time updates! Or just to talk with me!
> 
> comments and kudos are always welcome!!!
> 
> ...do i need to add an angst tag?


	7. Tag Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sundays are the best days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! My beta got through this and I couldn't wait to post this!! Sorry for the weird time! 
> 
> I guess there a sex warning (F/M/M threesome) for this chapter. Idk if it's really necessary to read it... if you really don't want to read the sex, you can probably skip the middle part. There are three parts, separated by 3 time stamps. You can control F --[FEB 24, 1629 PST-- and that should be enough to get past the sex
> 
> and okay, this is a LONG chapter guys! Over 10 000 words and 25 pages in my doc! I did NOT know that! So I hope y'all enjoy it!

[FEB 24, 0927 PST: PALO ALTO]

Artemis awakes to squabbling. She groans and pulls a pillow over her head half-heartedly. It sounds like Dick and Wally are bickering about which cereal is the best. She knows better than to assume they’ll agree to disagree: stubborn bastards. They couldn’t even close the door all the way? Her and Wally’s apartment is not big! The kitchen is right outside the bedroom! 

She groans, throwing off the blankets and trudging out of the bedroom, just awake enough to deliver a lecture about Sundays and the sacred rule of letting people sleep in. It’s practically a universal rule!

She pulls the door wide, mouth open, ready to lecture, but stops short at the sight. It’s not super sexy (she didn’t walk in on them fucking), but it’s so…  _ normal  _ that she has to pause and take it in. Both are still clad in their underwear, Wally with a gaudy pink apron, that was half a joke when they bought it, tied over his front. It makes sense that he’s wearing it; he’s the one standing at the stove and Artemis smells bacon. They have both learned why it’s important to wear a shirt while cooking bacon the hard way. The memory brings a smile to her face. 

Then Dick notices her. “Artemis!” he cheers.

Wally spins around and brandishes the spatula in his hand like a shield. “You should be sleeping! You don’t wake up before 11 on Sundays, unless you have to go into work.” His eyes are wide and he’s jokingly falling into a fighting stance.

Artemis wants to glare, she tries, but it’s probably too fond. “It’s easier to sleep in without my boyfriends squabbling about cereal at–” she check the time “–9:30 AM,” she finishes with a groan. She rubs the bridge of her nose.

“Sorry,” they apologize at the same time. They both look like scolded schoolboys. It’s unfairly adorable.

She sighs and walks around to Wally, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “It’s fine, just means I get to spend more time with you guys.” Wally smiles and Artemis heads around the table to give Dick a kiss, too. He perks up with the kiss. “Now what’s for breakfast?” she asks, taking a seat next to Dick.Their hands lace together without a thought. 

Dick smirks. “Wally’s favorite.”

“Everything?” Artemis chuckles. “Sounds delicious.”

Wally smiles at them before turning his back to them and tending to the stove. “How did you sleep?” Dick asks. “Rude awakening aside.” 

“Worse ways to wake up,” Artemis shrugs. “And it was fine. I fully expected to overheat. You both run pretty warm. How did you sleep?” 

“Like the dead,” Dick says. “Didn’t even notice Wally come in. It was nice to wake up with his arms around me.” 

Artemis glances at Wally and she can see his ears turning red. She smiles. “It is nice, isn’t it?” 

“Better than  _ my  _ arms?” Dick asks, mock offended.

Artemis laughs. “Wouldn’t know. Woke up all alone.” 

“I’m sorry, Arty,” Wally cuts in. “I know better than to wake you up before you’re ready.” 

It’s true; Artemis can be pretty cranky in the morning if she’s woken before she’s ready. Wally has been on the receiving end of a couple of death glares first thing in the morning. Yet… “It’s fine,” she shrugs. “I was prepared to lecture you two about the sanctity of a Sunday morning sleep-in, but seeing two almost-naked  _ very _ handsome men in my kitchen… well… I was pleasantly distracted.” 

Dick laughs. “And you say my mind is in the gutter.” 

She shoves Dick playfully. “Don’t act all high and mighty. I saw you staring at Wally’s ass. You’re picturing him without underwear, aren’t you?” 

Wally’s definitely blushing now. Dick continues on casually, “I won’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind, but I do have a question about the apron. Kinda clashes with his hair, don’t you think?”

“Oh, I got it with Artemis in mind,” Wally says. 

Dick fixes her with a look, eyes flashing with lust. Artemis rolls her eyes and huffs, “Boys.” 

“Has she ever–” 

“No, I haven’t,” Artemis cuts in. “Because I know better than to cook without a shirt on.” Forget that was a lesson that she had to  _ learn _ when her and Wally first started living together. Dick doesn’t have to know that.

Wally sighs. “Sadly.” 

Dick laughs and Artemis rolls her eyes again. “You’re both awful,” she says. 

“Are you sure it’s not you?” Dick teases. “For not indulging in this tiny fantasy? I mean that pink would look beautiful on you.” 

She frowns. “I’ll do it when you do it.” 

Wally starts laughing and Dick’s eyes sparkle. “Wally,” Dick says, standing. Artemis’ eyes widen.

“You’ve done it now,” Wally chuckles, reaching behind himself for the knot in the apron.

She snaps her attention back to Dick, who has his thumbs hooked in the waistband of his underwear, fully intending to push them down. “No!” she cries, hands shooting out to hold the fabric up. 

Dick dances out of her reach, bright smile on his face, Brucely barking excitedly around his feet, needing to join in on the excitement. Artemis chases after him, futilely grabbing for his underwear. Dick’s hips swivel out of the way too easily. “What? I’m gonna do it!” he sings, dancing away from her.

“Dick, come on! Don’t–” She turns to Wally. The apron is hanging loosely around his neck and he’s watching the scene in amusement. “Aren’t you going to help?” she asks desperately.

Wally shakes his head. “By now you should know better than to challenge Dick Grayson. He never backs down.” 

“I thought that was just with you!”

“No, babe. No one is safe,” he smiles. “And you can’t be distracted.”

She turns back to Dick and his bare ass is hanging out. She shrieks and moves without thinking, managing to get a good grip on his underwear and pulling it up hard enough that she pretty much gives him a wedgie. Dick squeals and tries to jump away, but Artemis’ grip is too tight. Brucely is still barking and jumping around their feet. “Arty!” Dick whines, trying to escape but to no avail. “You’re hurting my special places!”

Artemis grimaces. ‘Why do you have to say it like that?”

Dick laughs, dropping his hurt act. “Wally! Aren’t you going to help?”

Artemis spares a glance at him and he’s watching them and he looks… wistful? “No.  _ You _ know better than to give her an opening,” Wally says. 

Dick huffs. “Worst boyfriend ever.”

“Yeah…” Wally says, defeated. Immediately the playful atmosphere evaporates.

“What?” Dick asks.

Wally blinks at them for a second, stunned, then a forced smile stretches across his face. “It was a joke,” he tries to laugh, but Wally’s never been that good a liar. At least not to them. 

“It didn’t sound like you were joking,” Dick argues.

“Is everything okay, Wally?” Artemis asks, letting go of Dick and moving to stand in front of Wally. Dick walks around them and turns the stove off. She reaches up and cradles Wally’s face. “You’ve been weird for a while, but I thought it was because of school and work, but.. It doesn't feel like that. What’s going on?” 

Wally laughs again, trying to ease the tension. “Nothing, I swear.”

Artemis feels Dick step up behind her, most likely watching Wally over her head. “Wally,” Dick says. 

Wally’s face crumples a bit, but he doesn’t cry. He reaches up, holding onto Artemis’ hand with his. “I’m just… trying to memorize everything,” he whispers.

Cold panic shoots through Artemis. “Memor–what are you talking about? Are you sick? Is that why you came home so late last night?” It wasn’t that late, maybe 11 o’clock or midnight, but still. 

“Does Barry know?” Dick asks.

Wally shakes his head. “I’m not sick. I’m just…” He sighs heavily, slumping. “I’m waiting for when you two kick me to the curb.” 

He tries to say it lightly, but Artemis know that this is crushing Wally. “What?” Dick says.

Wally shrugs. “I’m not blind, I can see how good of a match you two are. I’ll only be in your way, so I’m enjoying these little moments now.”

Artemis doesn’t know what to say. Luckily, Dick doesn’t seem to have that issue. “You are obviously blind, Kid Idiot.” She winces. He may have things to say, but insults may not be helpful.

Wally frowns at him. Dick reaches around them, grasping the back of Wally’s head and pulling him close, squishing Artemis between them. “You’re blind,” Dick goes on, “because you can’t seem to see how happy we are with you.  **_Both_ ** of us!”

“Yeah,” Artemis chimes in, even though she can’t see Wally’s face anymore. “Wally, you’re so precious to us. What made you think we’d just ditch you like that?”

Wally is silent for a few moments. “I talked with Tim.”

Dick tenses behind her. “Tim?”

“Yeah,” Wally sighs. “Asked me if I was being selfish. And if I even thought about mentioning anything to Artemis without considering her feelings. And then I remembered how she looked on Valentine’s… and how I couldn't, shouldn’t, be standing at her side. And it just hit me that you two are way out of my league and it’s only a matter of time before you two realize it, too.”

Silence follows his admission. Artemis has  _ no idea _ what she should say. “I think we should sit down,” Dick mutters, tugging them into the living room. He pushes her and Wally onto the couch and sits himself on the coffee table, taking one of each of their hands in his. Artemis grabs Wally’s free hand with hers. “Okay, rewind. You talked to Tim?” 

Wally swallows and nods. “Yeah. Really put things in perspective…” 

Dick tenses, grip tightening around Artemis’ hand. “Wally, you know how much I love Timmy, but fuck him.” Wally blinks. “In this very specific case, only. Tim doesn’t understand what we’re doing. He’s still so young and young people are obsessed with finding  _ one true love _ . A lot of times they can’t comprehend an arrangement like this because they believe that sleeping with more than one person is cheating. It’ll fade, but he’s at that age.”

Artemis squeezes Wally’s hand. “I don’t know Tim, since I only met him the one time, but I can say this: he is not part of this relationship. He has no right to judge it. Well, he will, but he has no opinion on how we function together because this set up is you, me, and Dick.  **_Not_ ** you, me, Dick, and Tim. He can, and probably will, say whatever he wants about us, but the final say on anything is between us.” 

Dick nods vigorously. “Yes, exactly. He is my brother and I would love his approval, but I won’t stop seeing both of you because he doesn’t understand.”

“Didn’t some smart asshole once tell me ‘Love is not finite. Just because I care for Dick does not mean I love you any less’?” Artemis asks.

Wally blushes. “Yeah, he did.”

“That sounds almost poetic,” Dick teases. “But why can’t you apply that to us too? Just because we care for each other doesn’t mean we care for you any less. After all… seems stupid not to follow your own philosophy.”

Wally frowns. “I never thought of it that way.” 

“And now I’m going to tell you what I told Dick: we have to  _ talk _ to one another. Two people doubles the fun, but it also doubles the trouble. We can’t afford to bottle stuff up, or one of us is going to get really hurt,” Artemis says. 

Dick pulls Wally’s hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it. “I’m also really sorry. I knew Tim was going to talk to you, but I got distracted and Tim never brought it up again. I should have warned you.”

“Well I don’t know if you could. He found me the next day after he caught you two.” 

Dick sighs. “Of course he did. I’m still sorry.” 

Wally leans over and shares a chaste kiss with Dick. “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize.”

“I’ll talk to Tim, okay? Help him understand a bit more.” 

“You don’t have to,” Wally argues.

Artemis shakes her head. “I think he does. Or at least it’s a good idea. The secrecy is mostly about keeping civilian and superhero identities separate, but Tim could be thinking Dick’s ashamed and therefore hurting.” 

Dick nods. “Yeah, exactly.”

Artemis releases Wally’s hand and strokes his face. “Do you feel better? Do you understand that we’re three now? And that isn’t going to change?” 

“The triangle is the sturdiest shape in nature,” Wally mutters after nodding softly.

Dick smiles brightly. “There he is!” He claps Wally on the shoulder.

Wally laughs, blushing, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry, guys.”

Artemis waves him off. “You don’t need to apologize, just promise next time you feel this way, you’ll talk with us?”

“Okay,” Wally agrees. “Now can I finish breakfast–brunch–before it gets cold?”

“Fine,” Artemis chuckles and Dick pushes him back into the kitchen. Wally beelines for the stove, tying the apron in the back again with a sloppy bow. He switches the stove on and starts humming to himself. Artemis turns to Dick, who is watching Wally with a soft smile on his face.

“You know,” he says, not taking his eyes off Wally, “my mind is still kind of in the gutter.”

Artemis leans back on the couch, looking at Dick and making a point of checking Wally out, even if he isn’t looking aware of the eyes on him. A thought starts churning in her head as her eyes focus below Dick’s chin. “What time do you have to be back in Blüdhaven?”

He frowns a bit. “I missed patrol last night, but Sundays are usually pretty quiet. Blüdhaven PD can handle whatever criminal activity flares up. Why?”

She leans forward, grabs Dick’s shoulder and pulls him close. He flails, but stays upright. She whispers, “I recall a conversation where a certain someone gets tag teamed.” 

Dick sits back and looks at her with wide, hungry eyes. “Funny, I remember that, too.” 

She smiles, wicked. “And today is one of the few days a certain someone is completely free.” 

His eyes flick to Wally’s back, who has now started dancing along to his own humming. “You don’t say…”

“So if you’re willing…”

Dick’s nodding before she’s even done her sentence. “I definitely am.” 

“Soup’s on!” Wally chirps happily, putting the bacon on a plate covered with a paper towel, oblivious to the planning session going on a few feet away. He also removes the apron, showing off a large expanse of smooth, pale skin. Unmarked, one could say.

“After food?” Artemis asks.

“After food,” Dick confirms. 

* * *

[FEB 24, 1246 PST: PALO ALTO]

Wally feels a lot better about this arrangement now. He still feels like he’s the odd man out in this threesome, but he trusts Dick and Artemis. He trusts that they wouldn’t say things just to make him feel better. 

His worries might have been put more at ease if it didn’t feel like Dick and Artemis were planning something. Throughout breakfast, they kept on sharing looks and smiling like they had some secret. Wally isn’t sure how he feels about it exactly, but he keeps on reminding himself of the conversation they just had. And, other than those few moments, breakfast passed quite normally. They talked about school, Artemis’ sister, Alfred… sort of anything that came to mind. 

Of course, Wally ate 80% of what was prepared, Artemis and Dick splitting the rest. Wally’s heard of leftovers, but he has yet to experience it. They all take their dishes to the sink when they’re done, Wally sticking to the sink to wash, Artemis and Dick bicker over who gets to dry and who has to put away. Wally smiles at it. He could probably do everything in five minutes, but he’s trying not to use his superspeed. It’s… too easy to go back to it. He shakes his head, refusing to let himself get down. He has everything a guy could want: a full belly, a nice home, and two of the most attractive people he knows dating him. There’s nothing to be sad about. No reason to be sad. 

He doesn’t realize he’s done washing until he’s brushing his fingers over the bottom of the sink, searching for anything under the soapy water. Dick still has a few more dishes to dry and Artemis is snarking at him, feigning impatience. They both have smirks on their faces. “–taking forever!” Artemis teases.

“Patience is a virtue,” Dick smiles, handing her a finally dry plate. 

She scoffs and puts the plate in its rightful place. “I  _ am _ patient. You’re just  _ slow.” _

Dick slows down his movements. “Noooooo... thiiiiiiiissssssss… issssssssss… ssslllllooooooowwwwww,” he says, as if in slow motion. 

Wally bites his lip to stop himself from laughing. Laughing would only make Artemis mad with both of them. Artemis huffs, rolling her eyes, then locks eyes with Wally. Her eyes brighten. “Hey, Wally’s done, so because you’re being a pain, I’ll just start without you.” 

Dick’s eyes widen. “No! You can’t!” 

Artemis sighs, sashaying over to Wally. He stays in place, not sure what’s happening, but not wanting to ask. She puts her hand on his chest and leans into him, still looking at Dick. “Watch me.” She turns to face Wally, running her hand up and down his chest. Wally feels himself starting to blush at the attention. “So…” she says, “we talked a lot earlier. And talking’s good, but I know you like action better.”

Wally gulps. “O-Okay…” He  _ isn’t _ good with words, so he does prefer doing, but Dick and Arty are good at talking. Well… they’re better at it than he is. 

“So... “ she continues, hand snaking up and around the back of Wally’s neck. She pulls him down, but keeps their lips an inch apart. “How about we reassure you with something… more tangible than words?”

Wally isn’t sure what to think. He flicks his gaze to Dick, who is furiously trying to finish drying the dishes. Artemis tugs at the hair at the base of his head, drawing his attention back to her. “I’m… uh…” Wally stammers. 

Artemis smiles. “Is that a yes?” 

Wally nods vigorously. He’s not sure what exactly he’s agreeing to, but his gut tells him that he’ll enjoy it. She smirks and grabs his hand, tugging him back to the bedroom. “Jump in when you’re ready,” she tells Dick over her shoulder. 

“You don’t play fair!” Dick complains. 

She laughs as she pulls Wally into the bedroom; he’s stumbling along behind her. She practically throws Wally onto their bed. He flops back awkwardly, legs still hanging off the side. Then he sits up awkwardly on his elbows and watches with wide eyes as she pulls her nightshirt over her head, leaving her completely naked. His mouth drops open at the sight. Sure, he’s seen it before, but he has yet to grow tired of it. She smiles at him, like she knows exactly what he’s thinking, which wouldn’t be a surprise. He’s terrible at hiding his thoughts, especially around her and Dick.

She walks to the edge of the bed and drops to her knees. Wally sits straight up, eyes locked on her. “You like what you see, don’t you?” she asks smugly, running a finger over his half-hard cock. He also becomes very aware he’s still in his underwear. His cock twitches at the attention, his hands digging into the blankets at his sides.

“That obvious, huh?” Wally asks weakly.

She hums, pulling his waistband down and getting his cock out. “A little bit.”

Wally laughs breathlessly, turning into a loud moan when she wraps her lips around the head. She isn’t doing anything special, no tricks, but Wally’s always been a little excitable. Also it turns him on to hear a muffled curse and some fumbling through the door. Artemis chuckles and takes her time, drawing out all sorts of noises from Wally. She doesn’t seem to be in a hurry either, no matter the sounds Wally makes. 

The door swings open and Wally nearly loses it. Apparently having Dick catch him and Artemis is a kink of his. Who knew? 

“You really couldn’t wait, huh?” Dick asks, shutting the door behind him. Brucely whines from the other side. 

Artemis pulls off Wally’s cock and Wally shivers at the temperature change. “Told you I’d start without you. Now you gonna stand there and watch or join in?” She licks a stripe up Wally’s cock. Wally shivers, moaning. “This is a clothes-free zone, by the way.” 

Wally forces himself to look at Dick. He strips without hesitation. “I see that Wally still has some clothes on.” Wally watches Dick approach him with an open mouth. They’ve all fooled around, but they haven't–not  _ together _ , right? Why not? 

Dick kneels next to Artemis and Wally is sure that every ounce of blood he has in his body is in his cock. Wally’s pretty sure that this is going to kill him. “Aren’t you going to share?” Dick asks Artemis.

She licks up the other side of Wally’s cock, eyes locked on Dick. “I dunno. You gonna play nice?”

“I’m  _ always _ nice. And sharing is caring.”

“Fine,” she huffs, “because  _ I’m _ nice.” 

Dick rolls his eyes. “How courteous. Now gimme.”

Artemis laughs, releasing Wally’s cock, Dick taking hold of it a second later. He leans down, pressing his lips to Wally’s erection, gently, over the head and the sides. Wally is moaning, eyes locked on the pair of them. Dick is treating Wally’s erection like something precious and Artemis is watching with hungry eyes, one of her hands tangled in Dick’s thick, black hair. “That’s kinda hot,” Artemis says, her chest starting to flush. And that reminds Wally that they’re both  _ naked _ at his feet. His head might explode. 

“You expected anything less?” Dick asks.

Artemis shrugs. “Not as hot as me.”

“Oh?”

Artemis nods, leaning forward and wrapping her lips around the head of Wally’s cock. Wally barely holds himself back. Artemis is currently sucking him, but Dick is also pumping his hand over Wally’s shaft. Dick puts his mouth to Artemis’ neck, kissing and nipping at the skin there. Artemis moans, which makes Wally moan. He fucking loves this. “Oh, shit. Arty–I can’t,” Wally pants. He needs to warn Artemis. She doesn’t like the taste and he doesn’t want to ruin the mood. Although coming embarrassingly fast may do just that, but he can’t help himself. 

Artemis pops off and Wally exhales, thinking that he’ll get a break, but nope. Dick takes her place and she moves to his nipples, playing with both of them. Wally cries out, hips twitching. There’s no way he’s going to last. “Dick, Dick–” He sucks harder and Wally’s gone. Wally shouts, overwhelmed by pleasure and orgasms  _ hard _ . Every muscle in him tenses to the point where he feels like he might start cramping. 

Then everything relaxes. Wally exhales, falling onto his back, limbs numb. He gasping for breath. “That was.. Oh God…” Wally flops his arms for some reason. 

Artemis has moved next to him on the bed, kneeling over him with a smirk on her face. “Dick,” she says casually.

“Hmmm?” Dick asks and only now does Wally notice his cock is still in Dick’s mouth. It’s almost too much. Wally groans at the sensation and the knowledge that Dick swallowed everything. 

“I think he thinks we’re done with him,” Artemis says, amused.

Wally swallows at the implication, unsure if he should be scared or horny. Dick comes off Wally’s cock without a sound. “What’s got you thinking that?” he asks. 

“He’s got that ‘I just had sex’ look on his face.” 

Wally frowns. He does  _ not _ have a face like that. “Well, technically…” Dick says.

“But what about that stamina and refractory period he keeps on bragging about?” She’s looking right into Wally’s eyes and is combing her fingers through his hair. Dick has a hand around his cock, pumping slowly. It’s already half-hard, again. 

“Oh, God,” Wally groans. 

“Yeah, we’ve never been able to test his real limit, being non-powered ourselves…” Dick says. “And wouldn’t this be the perfect time to test that?” Dick is suddenly hovering over him, too. “Whattaya say, Wall-man? Want to have a little experiment?” 

Wally shivers and nods. “Uh-huh!”

Dick smiles and is gone from his line of sight. Then Wally feels his underwear being pulled off. Yeah, that’s a good direction to go in. Artemis doesn’t leave his sight. She looks very pleased. “How should we start?” Artemis asks.

“Supplies?” Dick suggests. 

Artemis disappears from sight. “What do you think we’ll need?” 

“Lube. Condoms. Lots of both, preferably,” Dick says. “We’re gonna make a mess.” Wally moans. Dick chuckles. “He’s getting worked up already,” he observes. Then there are hands on Wally’s body. They’re big and calloused–Dick’s. He keeps his hands around Wally’s stomach and upper thighs. Wally moans and moves his hips, trying to get Dick to touch more  _ fun _ places. Dick leans down and starts peppering kisses over his neck and shoulders. 

A hand that is not Dick’s wraps around his cock and Artemis’ mouth joins in on Wally’s other side, teeth and lips working over him. Wally moans, feeling completely surrounded. Then Dick’s hand dips lower than Artemis’, teasing over his hole. Wally twitches, his legs falling open. “Lube?” Dick asks.

Wally has no idea where it is, or where to find it. He opens his mouth to say just that when there’s a wet finger pressing against his rim. Wally cries out, rocking his hips into the touch. “Dick!”

“Do you think we could make him come by fingering him?” Dick asks. 

“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” Artemis giggles. 

“Okay,” Dick concedes. “Then I guess the real question is:  _ should we?” _

“Definitely,” Artemis says without hesitation. Wally moans, shivering. He’s certain he can’t form words right now. He can barely think straight. “You think I should use his mouth before it’s completely useless?” Wally blinks in confusion. It’s not already useless?

Dick laughs. “I don’t see why not.” 

Artemis pushes his hair back off his forehead, looking him in the eye. “Whattaya say, Wally? Wanna do that?” 

Wally nods quickly, mouth suddenly dry. “Please,” he rasps out. Oh, his mouth isn’t completely useless yet. Her hand leaves his cock and she straddles Wally’s face, her back to Dick. 

“What? You aren’t going to give me a show?” Dick asks.

Artemis laughs. “I need something to hold onto and his hair is the best bet.”

Dick and Wally groan. “Okay, that sounds good,” Dick says, voice suddenly shaky. 

“And don’t you slack down there, either,” she mock-commands.

“Yes, ma’am!” Dick says, another finger entering Wally. He moans at the sensation, hips jerking. He doesn’t get much time to enjoy it because Artemis is already grabbing onto his hair and sitting on his face. His hands go to her thighs and he tries to get his tongue out with some sort of technique, but it doesn’t matter. Artemis seems to be taking total control and all Wally has to do is lie down and take it. “Holy fuck, Arty,” Dick pants. Wally moans deep in his chest, picturing how this must look to Dick. 

Artemis laughs breathlessly. “You act like you’ve never seen something like this before.”

“I haven’t,” he confesses.

Artemis pauses and Wally whines. She starts moving again and Dick’s fingers drive in a little harder, making Wally writhe. Really… Wally can’t tell what is up or down anymore. He’s just along for the ride now. “Never?” she asks.

“Not from this angle,” Dick says. “You’re really fucking hot.”

What are they talking about again? Does it matter? Artemis’ thighs tighten around his head at the compliment. Then she’s off his face, leaving Wally gasping for air. Was he suffocating? It feels like his lungs are burning. He’s gasping, still holding onto her thighs, licking his lips and trying to focus. “Whoops,” she chuckles. His eyesight focuses and she’s smiling sheepishly down at him. 

“Yeah, don’t kill him before I get a turn,” Dick teases. 

Wally laughs, smile splitting his face. “You done with my mouth?” he asks, licking his lips again.

Artemis raises an eyebrow. “Not even in the slightest if you can form coherent sentences like that. But I think it’s more a comment on Dick’s skills if you can still be so cheeky.”

Dick makes an affronted noise. “Warm up!” he defends.

Artemis snorts, rolling her eyes. “This is sex, not training.” There’s a slapping noise and Artemis yelps, eyes going wide and flinching hard. She whips her head around. “Did you just–”

“Spank you?” Dick cuts her off. Wally is watching with wide eyes. Did Dick really just spank Artemis? “Yes, I did. You know better than to jump right into it.” 

Wally has never considered spanking Artemis before. And, on the surface, it seems like a bad idea, but… she’s got a pretty good blush going down her chest and she won’t look at Dick. Not because she’s scared, but because she’s embarrassed. Did Dick just accidentally discover one of her kinks?! Wally smiles, delighted, “You liked it.”

Her eyes snap to his. She looks like she forgot Wally was there, despite her hands still tangled in his hair. “I-I didn’t!”

“You so di–oh,” Wally moans, Dick’s fingers brushing over his prostate. 

“How about we discuss this later?” Dick suggests, fingers working with more purpose and his free hand closing around Wally’s dick. Wally’s hips push into each movement, onto Dick’s fingers and into Dick’s hand. “Now, how about that mouth?” 

Artemis clears her throat. “Sorry. Just enjoying the view,” she says. Wally blushes, wishing he could cover his face. He doesn’t know why he’s so self-conscious now, of all times, but he is. Artemis tugs on Wally’s hair, tilting his head back a bit and lowering herself again.

This time he really can’t focus on what he’s doing with his tongue besides moving it randomly. There’s pleasure pooling in his stomach and slowly moving outwards now that Dick seems to consider him “warmed up.” Dick is really good with his hands and he’s quickly reducing Wally to a mess. He’s not sure how much longer he has before he’s coming again. 

Soon, it does get to be too much. He taps on Artemis’ leg. He needs to breathe. She rolls off of him, lying on the bed beside him and Wally pants, groaning loudly and shoving back on Dick’s hands. “Oh–I–Dick!” Wally yells, pleasure spilling over again. Not as intense as the last orgasm, but he can feel come hitting his collarbone. 

He slumps, trying to catch his breath. When he manages to open his eyes and look at Dick, he’s frozen and staring at the spot beside him. Wally turns and freezes himself. Artemis is lying on her back with her eyes closed, head thrown back, and is fingering herself without mercy. Her chest rises and falls with every heaving breath, a blush spread out over it. She pulls at her own nipple and moans. Wally can see the instant she comes, tensing hard and letting out a cry. She lies there, relaxed, for a couple of moments, catching her breath. Then she opens her eyes. She freezes when she notices her audience.”What are you guys staring at?” she asks. 

“I thought it was obvious,” Wally whispers, unsure of who he’s talking to.

Artemis scowls at him. “Are you getting  _ more _ energy?”

Wally shrugs. “I think you broke Dick, though.” 

Sure enough, Dick is staring right at her. At the mention of his name, his eyes flick to Wally then back to Artemis, then back to Wally, then he closes his eyes with reverence. “I love my fucking life,” Dickwhispers, probably meant for himself, but Artemis and Wally start laughing. “Said that out loud, didn’t I?” 

“You absolutely did,” Artemis laughs. “But it was sweet.” 

Wally laughs, too. “Well I love my fucking life, too. Come here.” He motions for Dick to get closer and pulls him in for a kiss. Dick responds eagerly, deepening their kiss. Wally feels another hand over his on the back of Dick’s head. It’s Artemis’ and she’s massaging his scalp. Dick moans, sinking into the kiss. 

“You guys look pretty good together,” Artemis comments.

Dick chuckles and pulls back, “Better than you?” 

She snorts. “Never. But close.” 

They all share a small laugh. “You did make a mess, Dick,” Wally says, looking down at his chest. He is a mess, covered in his come from stomach to collarbone. 

Dick looks, too, and puffs his chest out. “Yes. I did.” 

_ “Smug,” _ Artemis coughs. 

“You still ready to go for more?” Dick asks, ignoring Artemis’ outburst. 

Wally leans back. “If you’re feeling up for it.” 

Artemis sighs loudly. “You’re  _ both _ smug.” 

“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” Dick teases. 

She sits up and pushes Dick away, not hard, just enough that he leans away. “Yeah, yeah. My turn,” she says. 

“Okay, okay. Let’s set him up then.” 

“Set me up?” Wally asks at the same time Artemis asks, “Set him up?” 

Dick nods. “Yeah. I wanna watch, but I want the best seat in the house.” He turns and leans against the headboard. He pulls Wally into his lap, so Wally’s back is against Dick’s chest. “See?” Dick asks. “Best spot.” Wally doesn’t know exactly where this is going, but he keeps quiet, waiting to see what happens next. Dick reaches around him, fondling Wally’s cock again. Wally isn’t sure that it even went soft. His stomach twitches and there’s a stuttered moan at how sensitive he feels.

Artemis huffs. “Yeah, yeah.” Wally settles in, kind of enjoying the feeling of Dick’s erection in his back. Dick’s hand moves down, massaging his balls. Wally whines, cock fully hardening. He also likes feeling surrounded by Dick. It’s nice. His attention is drawn back to Artemis when she rips open a foil packet. Excitement pulses through him. Something must show (he’s probably shaking) because Artemis smiles. “He’s excited,” she states. 

Wally pouts. “I don’t blame him. I’m excited, too,” Dick says, hand flicking up and down Wally’s shaft lightly. Wally pants, eyes focused on Artemis’ hands.

Artemis shakes her head fondly, pulling the condom out of its packet and rolling it over Wally’s erection, Dick’s hands leaving him just a second before. Wally’s hips twitch into the contact. How is he already this hard again? Not that he’s complaining. No sir, no way. “Where’d you put that lube?” Artemis asks.

Wally wants to ask what she means and how he would know that, but Dick responds. “Just at the end of the bed somewhere.” 

She finds it and quickly pours a fair bit over Wally’s cock. Wally holds his breath as Artemis strokes over him, spreading the lube and straddling his hips. Dick’s hands hold onto his hips, keeping him pinned in place. Artemis gets closer, lining herself up. Wally twitches, Dick’s hands tightening on his hips. So close. Artemis puts a finger under Wally’s chin, making him look at her face. She’s smirking. Then she sinks down, mouth dropping open and her eyes fluttering closed. Wally moans, feeling like he’s been punched in the gut, Dick echoing his moan behind him. He’ll probably never tire of this either. “Wally,” Artemis whispers, her arms going around his shoulders. 

Wally shudders at her voice. Dick makes a choking noise. Wally puts his hands on Artemis’ hips, helping keep her balanced. Also he needs something to hold onto. She rises up a couple inches, then sinks back down. Wally moans, hips twitching and eyes closing. “Wow…” Dick whispers in his ear as Artemis slowly picks up the pace. Wally is half-listening, attention torn between his two lovers. “Really, this  _ is  _ the best seat in the house, huh?” Wally nods. “I can’t take my eyes off her.” 

Wally forces his eyes open and Artemis is starting to blush. More so than when she is just turned on. Oh. She can hear Dick. And she likes it. “Easier to keep your eyes open when you’re  _ only _ watching her.” 

Artemis shudders, hips flexing and tightening around Wally’s cock. Wally groans. “Are you telling me I should participate?” Dick asks, one hand leaving Wally’s hip and trailing up her stomach. Artemis groans, grabbing Dick’s hand and moving it to her breast. Dick’s breathing picks up. “I see what you mean.” 

“Guys,” Artemis whines.

“She has to be getting close. Can you feel it?” Dick asks, just loud enough for Artemis to overhear. 

“Yeah,” Wally groans, head falling back on Dick’s shoulder> “Yeah, it feels… God, Dick. I can’t–” 

Artemis moans. “Can you two stop talking–ah–about me like I’m–oh–not here?” She doesn’t sound angry, just desperate. Wally tries to focus on her.

“Sorry, Arty,” Dick says casually. “Are you close?” Dick pinches her nipple and her rhythm falters. “I hear this position hits your g-spot easier. Does it?”

Artemis is panting now. She takes a couple of deep breaths and nods, grinding down a few times. “Wally,” she whispers. 

Dick’s breath is hot on his ear. “Wally,” he says, low enough that Artemis can’t hear over the noises they’re making, “can you focus enough to vibrate something?” Wally nods, eyes locked on her face. “Think next time she finds that spot you can vibrate your cock? I think she’ll like that.” Wally moans and nods. Yes, yes he can.

Wally focuses more intently, watching her movements closer, waiting for the moment she grinds down. It happens pretty quickly. Wally (somehow) times it perfectly. Artemis freezes, muscles spasming a moment later. “WALLY!” she screams, coming hard. Wally uses his hold on her hips to move her up and down and her head falls back. Wally’s hips twitch as she orgasms. God, this feels good. 

She’s spasming around him, nails digging into his neck, knees tight around his hips. A breathless “Fuck” from Dick has Wally falling over the edge, too. He leans forward, burying his face in Artemis’ neck, and thrusts up a couple times, coming hard, vision going white. 

Wally comes back to himself slumped back against Dick, Artemis heavy in his lap, collapsed against his chest, breathing hard. “Holy fuck,” Wally pants. He runs his hands over Artemis’ back, grounding himself. Sometimes he bumps into one of Dick’s hands. His other one is on Wally’s hip, flexing occasionally. 

“Vibrating is cheating,” Artemis says but makes no effort to move. 

Dick gasps dramatically. “Are you telling me that you haven’t been using Wally’s vibrational gift to your advantage?”

She shrugs. “It’s pretty good without.” 

“Oh, I know,” Dick says, “but come on! You can’t tell me that wasn’t mind-blowing.” 

She sighs. “It was.” Wally makes a mental note of that. To think that he could have been doing that for years. “I don’t have  _ time _ to be addicted to his cock all the damn time.” 

“A-dick-ted,” Dick snickers. 

Wally rolls his eyes fondly. “It only has one trick.” 

“Hell’v’a trick, though,” Artemis mutters. 

Dick laughs. “She has spoken!” Artemis reaches around and smacks Dick on the arm. “Mean!” he accuses playfully. “You got your land legs back yet?” 

“My legs are just fine.’

Dick chuckles. “I know they’re fine, but can you move yet?”

Artemis sits back, glaring at Dick over Wally’s shoulder. She looks a little too… post-mind-blowing-orgasm to be very intimidating. “I  _ never  _ get weak knees.”

Wally sighs, sensing a challenge coming on. “Oh, ho, ho. We’ll see about that another day.” 

_ “Your _ dick doesn’t even vibrate.” 

Wally flushes with pride at her backhand admission that his dick is better than Dick’s. Dick scoffs, mock-offended. “I don’t  _ need _ it to vibrate to take you over the moon.” 

“As much as I love the banter and the images it’s producing in my head,” Wally cuts in, finally feeling coherent enough to speak, “you have to get off me, Artemis, before we lose the condom.”

“Shit,” Artemis curses. Wally reaches between them, finding the base of the condom and holding on as Artemis lifts herself off. They both groan at the sensation. Wally makes quick work tying off the condom and depositing it in a tissue that Dick somehow produced. The tissue gets tossed off the bed unceremoniously. At least if they accidentally step on it, it won’t be  _ that _ gross. Artemis flops onto her back next to them, chest rising and falling with each deep breath she takes. “This isn’t supposed to be about me,” she sighs. 

“Trust me, I’m enjoying it as much as you are,” Wally assures her.

She smiles. “I guess that’s okay then, but you’re looking quite perky coming off orgasm...3? I’ve had two and I’m feeling heavy.” 

“I feel good,” Wally says.

“How about we get Dick on the orgasm scoreboard?” Dick asks. Wally laughs.

“Sorry, we’ve been neglecting you,” Artemis teases.

“Not neglecting,” Dick argues. “Just saving the best for last.” Artemis snorts.

Wally jumps in before they just bicker with one another all day. “Okay, Dick. What’cha got in mind? It’ll take a moment, but I’ll be ready for you.” 

“Well, in that case, fair’s fair, don’t you think? If you need a moment to recover, use that moment to stretch me out.” He leans in close to Wally’s ear again. “We can put on a show for Artemis.” 

Wally smirks. “You gonna ride me, too?”

“I  _ could _ , but we’ve been doing a lot of the work all morning.” 

Artemis snorts.  _ “You’ve _ been doing all the work?”

“Okay, maybe not  _ me _ , but Wally’s been laying back and he’s always better at finding the angles than I am.” Wally laughs and Dick smiles. It’s not strictly true, but Wally doesn’t mind doing some work. He sits up, turns around, and pulls Dick down the bed by his ankles until he’s lying next to Artemis. They are both looking up at him, both beautiful and flushed, and Wally takes a moment to bask in the knowledge that they are with  _ him _ , just a random nerd from Keystone. “Gonna take a picture?” Dick asks, smirking.

“Don’t tempt me,” he warns, then looks at Artemis. “Lube?” She holds out the tube for him without a word. “Thank you!” She smiles at him. He pours some of the lube over his fingers and reaches for Dick’s hole. Wally doesn’t mind bottoming for Dick, but Dick loves bottoming. He doesn’t mind that Dick prefers it that way; he’s pretty good at it. Like right now, Wally’s fingers are just teasing over him, but he’s making all sorts of wonderful sounds and moving his hips in the most enticing way. (Wally could be biased too… sue him). 

Artemis is watching Dick, propped up on her elbow, looking amused. Wally smiles at the sight. He doubts that Artemis has seen Dick look like this before, despite how much they’ve fooled around together. From what he’s heard, they don’t exactly interact like he and Artemis do, but they still have a lot of fun. Wally picks up his pace a little, tapping into his superspeed, maybe wanting to show off a bit. Dick’s half-hard cock goes full mast, a loud moan leaving him as he twists his hips. “He really likes this, huh?” Artemis muses, running a finger over Dick’s side. 

Dick shivers and moans, nodding. “Yes he does,” Dick says, back arching when Wally presses his fingers in harder. Dick grabs onto the bedspread, his knuckles going white. “He very much does.” 

Artemis chuckles. “No shame, huh?” 

“I don’t think he ever learned the word,” Wally teases. Dick moans loudly again, this time exaggerating it. “No shame at all,” he chuckles. “Our neighbors are going to hate us.” 

Dick laughs breathlessly. “If they hate anyone, it’s going to be you two. Guess you were–ah–too out of it to notice how loud you were being.” Artemis’ face turns bright red. Wally blushes a little, too, pleased. He knows he can get carried away when in the moment, but Artemis usually stays quiet (or quieter than Wally). But… Wally did break out some new trick recently… maybe he just needs to utilize them a little more to figure out if Artemis is a screamer or not. Dick, on the other hand, has no problem voicing how much fun he’s having. Like right now, where Dick is panting and moaning and gasping while Wally fingers him. 

He adds another finger, but Dick is so relaxed around him, he’s not sure that he’ll need another. And Dick is making it pretty clear that he’s ready for Wally by gyrating his hips and pushing back against Wally’s ministrations. He’s also starting to get an annoyed look on his face. “Wally, stop fucking teasing me–” he starts to threaten. Artemis is smiling widely, and cuts off some of Dick’s ramblings with quick kisses. Wally isn’t surprised that Dick is acting this way, like he’s too turned on to think straight: it is his first orgasm. He’s held out pretty well. “Condom?” Wally asks.

One smacks him in the side of the head and lands on Dick’s chest. It’s really Wally’s fault because he can’t look away from Dick’s face. Dick, in any other circumstance, would be laughing at Wally and teasing him for being distracted, instead, he’s moaning excitedly. Wally chuckles at how desperate Dick is. 

He pulls his fingers out and fumbles with the condom package, ignoring the whining noises Dick is making. Wally is hard again and ready to go. He gets the condom out somehow without dropping it, and rolls it on the first time (which he’s grateful for because five out of six times, he puts the condom on backwards and having to fix that is not sexy). 

Fumbling with the lube again, he layers a coat over his cock and strokes it. He leaves the lube on the bed and settles between Dick’s legs, teasing Dick’s hole with the head of his cock. At least when he’s on top, he can control the speed. Dick shivers after the fourth or fifth time Wally  _ just about _ pushes in. “Please, Wally,” he begs. “Please, please, please, please.” 

“He’s asking so nicely,” Artemis coos. “Why don’t you play nice?” 

Wally pushes the head of his cock against Dick’s hole a little more firmly, but not with enough pressure to actually go in. Dick holds his breath. Not this time. Wally smirks and pulls away before his cock can go inside. Dick whines. “Because I like the noises he makes.”

“You’re just showing off,” Dick pants, widening his legs a little more. 

Wally blushes at being called out. He can’t explain it, but he wants to impress Artemis. Maybe he wants to prove to her that his attraction to Dick isn’t made up.  _ No, _ he chastises himself, shaking his head,  _ don’t think about that _ . He realigns and starts pressing into Dick slowly, making him moan. Dick arches his back and pushes against him, forcing him inside deeper. Wally groans, fully seating himself in a few seconds. 

“Wow,” Artemis says. Wally spares her a glance and she’s watching Dick with wide eyes. “I didn’t think it would be so hot.” Her thighs are rubbing together. Wally smirks and, keeping his eyes on her, pulls almost all the way out and pushes back in. Dick reacts as Wally expected, from sound to movement: a moan punctuated with Dick’s hips pushing down, legs wrapping around Wally’s hips, and his fingers digging into Wally’s shoulder blades. Artemis bites her lip.

Wally leans down, mouth next to Dick’s ear, eyes still watching her. “She’s watching you,” he whispers. Dick shudders. “Can’t take her eyes off you. Not even for a second.” 

“Wally,” Dick moans.

Artemis’ breath stutters and she reaches for something from her nightstand. Wally smirks at what she pulls out: her bright pink dildo that she absolutely refuses to call “Phil” like Wally does. Phil is relatively new, a gift from her girlfriends for her 21st birthday. Zatanna was insistent Artemis have at least one. She loves Phil, but she doesn't think Wally knows that. She moves and settles herself against the headboard, leaning back and spreading her legs a bit. Wally doesn’t know when she grabbed the lube he abandoned, but she’s spreading it over Phil. Much more than she needs. 

She doesn’t waste time putting Phil between her legs, eyes locked on Dick. Wally will lean back, to give her a better show, but first... “She had to get her toy,” he informs Dick.

Wherever Dick’s mind went, he seems to perk up. “Toy?” 

Artemis’ cheeks turn red, but she doesn’t stop using Phil. “Yeah, a pretty pink dildo. Got her so hot that she had to be fucked again.” 

Artemis and Dick groan at the same time. Wally sits back now, so Artemis can see how fast he’s going. Sure enough, Artemis’ eyes travel to where he and Dick are joined. Wally settles onto his knees and pulls Dick by his hips into his lap, and starts thrusting  _ hard. _ Dick howls, hands darting to the sheets, tearing at them, and his knees locking around Wally’s hips. “Shit, fuck! Wally!” Dick cries out, eyes squeezed shut. There’s a nice blush forming on his chest. 

Wally adjusts his hips, getting the angle right to brush over Dick’s prostate. It’s obvious when he hits that spot. Dick’s mouth falls open in a silent scream and his eyes open long enough for Wally to see them rolling back. Now for the kill shot. On the thrust in, when he’s all the way in, he starts to vibrate. Dick arches far enough off the bed that it’s a wonder his spine doesn’t snap in half and comes all over his stomach and chest. Wally makes a strangled noise at the sight, almost loud, but he’s easily drowned out by Artemis’ cry of pleasure. Wally tears his eyes away from Dick long enough to see the tail end of Artemis’ orgasm. Really, he’s the luckiest guy in the whole world. 

Wally doesn’t stop thrusting, aiming carefully, but trying to chase his own orgasm. “Wally,” Dick whines, probably getting pretty sensitive. Wally readjusts his grip, moving to support Dick’s lower back with his hands and Dick starts moaning all over again. Not in pain like he usually would when Wally goes for too long. He keeps the angle as best as he can, wanting to see what’ll happen next. Dick starts tensing around him like there may be another orgasm incoming, but he’s not hard. “Wally, wha–”

Then Dick screams, tensing hard enough that Wally fears his dick might break off. Dick’s hips continue to twitch and tense, and seeing how wrecked Dick is is the final push Wally needs. He groans, coming hard, fingers digging into Dick’s skin.

They stay suspended for a couple minutes, breathing heavily together. Then Dick asks, “What was that? Because we have to do it more often.” 

Wally chuckles, ducking down and pressing a kiss to Dick’s cheek. “I have no idea.”

“It sounded amazing,” Artemis chimes in. “In fact, I’m kind of jealous.”

Dick huffs out a laugh. “No need for jealousy, Arty. I have to tap out. If I try again, my heart might stop.” Wally smiles and slowly pulls out of Dick. Dick grimaces. “Yeah, I’m done for the day. Gonna be sore.” 

“I thought you guys were going to test my stamina,” Wally teases, dealing with the used condom. He could probably go again, but he’s also feeling  _ very _ satisfied. 

“It doesn’t help that you seem to get more energy with every orgasm,” Artemis complains. “It would take more than two mere mortals to empty your tank.” 

Wally laughs, wrapping the condom in a tissue. He’s not sure if his energy is because of his stamina or because of his healing factor, but knowing he can keep both his partners satisfied? Well, that’s a bonus. “I think I’ll take Brucely for his walk,” Wally muses. 

Artemis groans and Dick throws a pillow at his head. He laughs, dodging the pillow easily. “How can you think of moving?” Artemis says. “God, you’re like a perpetual motion machine.” Wally’s heart flutters. “Now get going.”

Wally stands from the bed. “Alright,” he chuckles. He won’t tempt her wrath… much. “I’m going to hop in the shower, first. You want me to take care of Phil?” 

Artemis blushes. “Stop calling it that.”

Dick gives both of them a confused look. “Another boyfriend?”

“No, it’s her pink friend,” Wally says. 

Dick gasps. “Her toy?!”

Wally nods. “Yes. A nice chap. Seven inches, not too girthy–” His explanation is cut off by Phil hitting him in the face. Dick starts laughing uncontrollably.

“Rinse it off. I’ll wash it later,” Artemis commands, almost completely red. 

Dick’s still laughing, clutching at his stomach. “Come on, honey. At least call him ‘he.’ After all, he’s a very close friend,” Wally wheedles.

“Wally West, if I have to get out of this bed, not even your superspeed will save you,” she warns. Dick sounds like a dying hyena.

“Does Phil give you jelly legs? Because my response is dependent on that.”

Artemis moves one leg like she’s about to get off the bed and Wally’s survival instinct kicks in. He’s in the bathroom (door locked) in the next second. He can hear Dick laughing through the walls. He smiles to himself and rinses Phil. Those two really managed to convince him that they like him, flying dildos aside. 

He showers and gets his running clothes in two minutes, the only evidence that he was back in the room some disturbed air. He collects Brucely, who is all too excited for walkies, so it makes it a little difficult getting the leash snapped onto the collar. Ready to go, Wally steps into the clean California air and feels at peace. He can’t remember a time he’s felt so happy. 

* * *

[FEB 24, 1629 PST: PALO ALTO]

Artemis glares at the ceiling while Dick laughs himself silly. Her cheeks are still red from Wally being  _ so embarrassing. _ Sure, she should know better than to bring the dildo out when Wally’s around. He doesn’t mind it; in fact, he takes a lot of pleasure in watching her use it and in calling it that ridiculous name. She doesn’t hate it when Wally is being ridiculous, but does he have to do that in front of Dick? They’ve only been together a couple months! It’s so embarrassing. Dick’s laughter starts to die down. “You done?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I think so,” Dick chuckles. “Do you really call your dildo ‘Phil’?”

_ “I _ don’t,” she growls.

“Then why does Wally?”

“Because he thinks he’s  _ so _ funny.” 

“Funny?” he asks, sounding interested. Artemis tenses. She can feel him staring at the side of her face. In this moment, she knows that Dick would think it’s funny, too. “Why?”

She shakes her head, knowing it would be a mistake to tell him. Wally’s bad enough, but having to deal with both of them calling it Phil? 

“You know if you don’t tell me, I’m just going to ask Wally.”

Artemis sighs, exhaling in defeat. He would. And Wally would happily share it. May as well get it over with it right now. She sighs again and closes her eyes. “Because the full name is Phil R. Up.”

There’s an agonizing moment of silence then Dick is busting a gut again. Artemis rolls her eyes. She knew that he would love that. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard!” he yells, laughing hard enough that he’s having trouble breathing. Artemis shoves him off the bed. Admittedly a childish move, but Dick’s laughter cuts off with a gasp as he lands noisily on the floor. 

Artemis laughs when Dick’s head pops over the edge of the bed. His hair is rumpled and his cheeks are pink. He looks like a ruffled puppy. “I feel like I should say sorry, but I’m not,” she giggles. 

Dick huffs and pulls himself back onto the bed, groaning loudly the entire time. “God, I’m actually a little sore. How is Wally even able to move right now?” He lifts his arms a few inches off the bed and drops them with a groan. “I feel like I need to stretch.” 

Artemis snorts. “You’ll hate it even more to know that Wally jogs when he takes Brucely out.” Dick makes a sound of disgust. “I  _ know. _ I thought we could’ve at least burned him out a bit, but nooooooo. God.” Artemis covers her eyes with her arm. “At least I’m not dealing with that on my own now.” 

“Well, you seem to be holding up just fine,” Dick says. She peeks at him and he’s on his back, staring up at the ceiling.  _ “I’m _ the one tapping out after two times.” 

“Lasted longer than all of us.” 

Dick snorts. “‘Cause I was watching. And I was not prepared to participate.” 

“You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“It was! Is! I mean, really, I’ve been with you two separately, but together? Good Lord, I was not ready in the best way possible. Like, for example,” Dick goes up to his elbow, resting his chin in his hand and looking at her, smirk on his face, “you breaking out the toys, Arty.” She blushes. “I, for one, am a  _ huge _ fan, but I am also hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“That your decently-sized, pink friend was kept a secret.” 

Artemis glares at him and crosses her arms. “What’s it to you?” 

_ “Because _ we could have compared notes! I mean, what you have seems to be good, but I could’ve helped!”

“Helped with what?” Artemis is not sure if she’s ready for where this conversation is going. 

“Expanding!”

Her eyes go wide. She definitely is not ready for this conversation. “No! Absolutely not! I didn’t even pick this one out myself! It was a gift!”

Dick gets a smarmy look on his face. “From Wally?”

“No… not from Wally,” she looks away, not believing that she’s talking about this. And she can’t believe that she’s sharing so much. “Zatanna helped me get it. Said every girl should have at least one.” 

“That makes sense,” Dick sighs, flopping back onto the bed. “And I’m not so hurt anymore. Well, I can’t be hurt without being a hypocrite.”

“Why on earth would you be a hypocrite?” 

“Yeah. Zatanna helped me with my collection.” 

“Collection?!” Artemis echoes in disbelief. “You’re  _ nineteen!” _

Dick laughs. “So? They’re fun!”

Artemis covers her face. “Does Wally know?” 

“No,” Dick sounds hesitant. Artemis looks at him. He’s still looking at the ceiling, but he’s fiddling with his thumbs. “I didn’t know how he’d react to it. I mean, Wally’s cool about a lot of stuff, but most guys don’t like the ‘competition’.” He even uses air quotes. 

‘Well, I can assure you that Wally does  _ not _ mind. He really likes to watch,” she says and forces herself to sit up. Her hips hurt a little bit, but she’s feeling good, like she got a good workout in. “I have to shower. I’m covered in.. everything. And I’ll also need to change these sheets…”

“I could totally join you,” Dick offers.

Artemis shakes her head and pats Dick’s thigh. “No, thank you. Shower’s a little too small for two, and your jelly legs will only cause an accident.”

Dick sighs, going up to his elbows and pouting. “Fine. I’ll pretend that I haven’t heard stories of you and Wally ‘saving water.’” He pauses for a moment. “To spare my pride.”

Artemis laughs and leans over, giving Dick a peck on the lips. He’s still pouting. “You can squish two in there, but no one is getting clean. It’s just a bunch of wet skin sliding over wet skin.” She eyes Dick’s cock valiantly trying to get hard again. She smirks. “And I have to wash now. Maybe next time.” 

Dick groans, flopping back onto the bed. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Artemis snickers and heads for the bathroom completely nude. In all honesty, she probably could have had Dick join her in the shower, but she needs a moment to herself, a moment to think. The conversation she had with him last night is still lingering in her mind, along with the half an idea with how she may be able to help. It seems plausible, but how would she be able to execute it? Maybe some more training…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more updates!
> 
> I hope everyone liked this chapter!! I know it's not exactly "realistic" but hey! I love this stuff! Leave a kudos or a comment! <3 
> 
> Going through this for formatting, I realized I may have accidentally used a different name for Artemis. I caught one happening, but if y'all see another instance, please let me know! It's because I'm writing for like 7 stories and they're all jumbling!
> 
> I _promise_ that the next chapter has plot!


	8. Impulse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when a "retired" speedster is caught on TV helping out against some baddie no one has ever seen before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! so here it is! 
> 
> more plot! the start of my plot... i hope it's not stupid... god the more i put off posting this the more insecure i am, so this is gonna be posted and we're gonna just roll with it! 
> 
> I hope y'all like it... 
> 
> PS this is my own personal interpretation of the "retirement" thing. SO you don't have to agree or disagree with me, but this is how the story will be from here on out... god that sounded agressive... sorry my beta is sound asleep and if i wait for her to wake up i won't post this... again... so im doing it now and my comments and stuff are.... weird

[FEB 28, 2130 EST: BLÜDHAVEN]

Dick sneaks into his apartment window in full costume, tired from today. Sure, he didn’t have to fight the new speedster for long, but just dealing with speedsters is exhausting. It’s like they can literally suck energy from other people. Wally and Barry have gotten better, but Impulse–Bart–is draining. The amount of energy the kid has is shocking. Was Wally that bad when he was younger? And Dick will absolutely be blaming Bart for being too tired to notice that someone else is in his apartment when he’s well inside and reaching up to remove his mask. He drops into a defensive stance, one hand going to the escrima stick strapped to his thigh. 

“Took you long enough, Boy Wonder.” 

“Artemis?” Dick asks, still tense. All his lights are still off, so the only indication someone is there is a person-shaped shadow on his couch.

“You need to improve your security,” she informs him shortly. “And you left a costume in the middle of the room. You should know better.” She sounds angry and, sure, he should take better care with his costumes, but that isn’t something to get that upset over.

He frowns in confusion and flips on the lamp in the living room. Artemis is sitting in the middle of his couch, arms crossed and a glare on her face. “Is everything okay?” he decides to ask, removing his mask. He can’t think of what could have her so angry. Her glare snaps to him and he freezes in place, much like one would do when they realize that a wild animal has noticed them.

“You  _ know _ we’re trying to retire,” she growls, fingers tensing on her arms.

Dick doesn’t dare move, mask still halfway away from his face. “I… know that…”

“Then  _ why _ , when I turned on the news, did I see  _ Kid Flash _ out there today?”

Her voice is calm, but Dick knows better than to trust it. “I didn’t ask him to suit up,” Dick tells her calmly, frowning and moving very slowly so his hands are in front of him. He was confused to see Kid Flash in the middle of Central City, but he didn’t question it. He’s missed seeing Wally in the red and yellow. It’s a good look on him. 

“What?” she asks, her glare softening. She still looks upset, but it’s not directed toward Dick anymore. He feels more comfortable to move, although he won’t dare touch her yet.

“No, I never asked him to suit up. You saw the younger speedster out there, right?” Artemis nods. “That kid came from the future. Showed up in the middle of Mount Justice, in a  _ time machine _ . He slipped out of his cuffs, can vibrate through stuff like Barry can, and he headed for Central City. I called Wally in case Barry needed help dealing with this kid, that’s it. I didn’t even ask him to get his suit.” 

“You mean he…” she says slowly, voice trailing off. Then her eyes light with fire and she shoots to her feet. Dick jumps back. “That bastard!” she yells, fists tight at her sides and she starts pacing, much like a caged tiger. “I can’t  _ believe–!” _

“Calm down, Arty,” Dick says and cringes when he realizes what he did. Asking someone to calm down is a sure-fire way to fire them up. 

“No! He just–! I can’t  _ believe _ he would do this!” she screams, louder than before. 

“What? What did he do?” Dick asks, scared that Wally may have done something worse than going back into the field. 

“I can’t calm down!” she yells, stopping in place and looking at Dick. He blinks for a few seconds, trying to understand what he’s seeing. Are her eyes… wet? Is she crying? “We’ve talked and talked and talked about retirement. We talked about what it meant. And it meant  _ not _ going back into the field, save for end of the world scenarios. All hands on deck sort of deal.” She’s shaking now. “Whatever happened in Central City could’ve been handled by Flash and whatever kid that showed up today.” 

“Artemis…” Dick says, slowly realizing that the worst thing Wally  _ could do _ would be going back into the field. 

“I didn’t even know he had access to his uniform!” she yells, almost hysterical. 

Dick’s stomach knots at the idea of having his Nightwing uniform unavailable. Retirement or not, the uniform is  _ his. _ He remembers how hard it was to let go of the Robin uniform. And that wasn’t even a choice. “Don’t you–”

“I asked Green Arrow to keep it from me,” she shakes her head firmly and crosses her arms over her chest. “I told him not to give it to me unless the world was ending.” She sniffs, face dry but eyes still wet. Dick waits. It looks like she’s at a loss for words. Maybe even a little lost.

“You really think Oliver would keep that from you?” he asks. Her shoulders rise and fall quickly. She’s not looking at him anymore. “And you know Wally… he can’t just sit by when he could help…”

Artemis’ gaze snaps to Dick and he  _ knows _ he fucked up before she opens her mouth. “And I’m not?!” she screeches. 

“I never said that–” Dick tries to say.

But Artemis is not having it, understandably so. “You did! You think I don’t watch the news?! That I don’t see the heroes and the villains of the world continuing on around me?! That my hands don’t itch for my bow when I see that I could have  _ helped?!” _ Tears are falling down her face now. Dick’s stomach feels like it’s turning inside out. “You think that I don’t  _ ache _ to be out in the field again?” she asks quietly, like she’s run out of steam. “You  _ both _ should understand, better than anyone else, how hard it is to wonder about something, wonder ‘what if I did this?’ or ‘what if I’d done that?’ and living with it.”

Dick immediately knows she’s talking about their relationship. All those what if’s between them that got answers. “Artemis...”

She inhales shakily. “I know you, the League, everyone, want Wally back in the field. I know none of you would stop him if he asked to be put back on the Team.” 

He can see where this is going and he needs to jump in quickly. “Artemis, we want  _ you _ out there, too. All of us, the Team, the League,  _ me! _ We all miss having you out there,” he says quickly, needing to reassure her. “I know for a fact that Oliver would be thrilled to have you out in Star City with him again. I bet it kills him to keep your stuff because it isn’t his to have.” 

She looks touched, if for a moment, then she’s wiping at her face, angry strokes under her eyes, leaving her skin red. “Don’t be saying that if you don’t mean it.” 

Dick crosses the room and wraps his arms around her without hesitation. She may hit him, but he’s always been a hugger and it’s the one way he knows how to reassure people. Instead of hitting him, or stabbing him with something, her arms wrap around his middle, holding him just as tight. “I promise, Arty,” he says into the top of her head. “I promise I mean it. I miss you out there. I know it kills you to be on the sidelines. Say the word and you’re in.” 

“Just like that?” Her voice is a little muffled by his chest.

“I  _ am _ the leader of the Team. I believe it’s my job to overlook recruitment.” 

Artemis gives a watery laugh. “I want back in,” she whispers, tense. 

“Done,” Dick says. 

She inhales sharply. “Just like that?” 

Dick laughs. “Just like that.” He pulls back, a smile on his face. She’s smiling too, her hands on Dick’s hips. He cups the side of her face. “We’ll get you back into the training sessions and then back into rotation.” She sighs happily and leans into his hand. “Wally isn’t going to be happy.”

She huffs out a laugh. “He’ll be even unhappier with my idea.”

“Idea?” 

She nods. “I have a mission I’d like to do.” 

Dick frowns, trying to anticipate the mission that she wants, going over all the missions that are coming up that she may have heard of and trying to figure out where she’d want to go. For the most part, they are silent, covert missions to gather intel. At least one goes out a day, if not every other day, even if they come back with nothing. It’s all simple stuff, not the hard reconnaissance where the more senior members are preferred. But maybe she wants to ease back in? “The next covert missions are filled at least for the next week. “I can get you on next week. And it would honestly help me feel better if I train you for a bit beforehand. I know you’ve been training, but it would ease my mind, not as your boyfriend, but as the Team Leader.” 

Artemis smiles at him. “I don’t mind, but I’ll need some more intensive training.” 

Dick raises an eyebrow. “Oh?” 

She slaps his arm. “Pervert.” Dick laughs. He wasn’t honestly thinking that way, but he could get behind that. “I’m serious,” she insists then takes a step back, motioning toward the couch. “Sit. You probably won’t like this either. As my boyfriend  _ or  _ my leader.” 

Dick frowns. “Okay, just let me get out of my suit first.” Artemis nods, sitting on the couch. Dick hustles to his bedroom, unzipping and contorting out of his uniform. He loves it, but getting out of it is something he loves as well. It’s like peeling off a tight pair of jeans at the end of the day. He sighs when he gets out of it, basking in the feeling of the air on his skin. All of his skin. Yes, it’s too tight to wear anything underneath. 

He jumps into a pair of sweats and grabs a loose t-shirt off his dresser, giving it a sniff test before heading back into the living room. He’s shrugging into the shirt as he approaches the couch. He sits beside Artemis, smirking at the light blush on her cheeks. She frowns, then gives him a serious look, which he tries to match. “I think I have a way to help Kaldur.” 

Dick’s face drops with shock. “What?” He hasn’t been able to think of anything to get Kaldur moving forward. He’s still as stuck as the night he confided in Artemis about it. 

“You’re not going to like it,” she warns. 

Dick’s stomach twists. He tries not to jump to conclusions. “Let me hear it before my imagination goes wild.” 

“I join Kaldur undercover,” she says quickly and without hesitation, her face not giving anything away.

Everything freezes inside Dick. “No,” he says. There’s no way. He can’t put her undercover with Kaldur! He’s already wondering if it might be time to pull Kaldur before something awful happens. Kaldur has been there for  _ two years _ and he hasn’t been able to gain his father’s trust yet. Throwing Artemis into the mix just seems to be begging for trouble. 

“Hear me out–”

“No,” Dick cuts her off, standing and pacing away. He runs his hand through his hair. “I can’t do that! Not because you can’t but because it’s too much of a risk! Too dangerous! Especially for your first mission back in the field!”

“Dick, calm down,” she says.

Obviously, that has the opposite effect. “I can’t! Do you know what Wally would say?!”

She’s suddenly in front of him, holding onto his arms tightly. Dick is staring down into her eyes, still panicked. Her eyes are on fire. “Stop,” she orders, firm. Dick takes a couple of deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. He can feel his heart rate slowing and his muscles relaxing. “First of all,” she says, tense, “Wally  _ is not _ my keeper. Yes, he’ll be upset, but this is  _ my _ life. I’ll deal with whatever consequences with Wally, okay?” Dick nods. “Are you going to listen to me now? Because I’m not your girlfriend right now, I’m a member of your team with an idea. And my  _ leader _ should at least listen to it before saying no.” He stares for a moment, wanting to argue, but she adds, “Especially when my leader has been having trouble finding a solution himself.” 

Dick closes his eyes and breathes some more. Right. He can’t let his personal feelings affect how he handles his team. He doesn’t like the idea of sending another person undercover, but if Artemis has a solution to his Kaldur problem, no matter how outrageous, he should listen. He nods. “Okay,” he nods, opening his eyes, feeling in control, “let me hear it.” 

She smiles, pulling him back to the couch. “You know my past, right?” He nods. He knows about Sportsmaster training her and her sister from childhood, really fostering a “us vs. them” mentality that Artemis was lucky not to absorb. “I know I told you about my training, but I’m not sure if I told you specifically what he was training me for.” Dick waits, while she takes a deep breath. “Dad trained me and Jade to be enforcers, or assassins, for the League of Shadows.” Dick’s jaw drops. He didn’t know that and he knows about Bruce’s interactions with them. “I know the rules, the customs, the expectations. I know how to handle myself around them. How to blend in.”

Dick hates that his first thought is that she’s making sense. He doesn’t want to send her in, but she may be onto something. “Other than that, why does it have to be you that goes?” They could give another person, who’s been active longer, lessons on how to blend in.

Artemis grabs onto his hand, holding on tight. Dick squeezes back. “Because I know I can do it. The plan has to be executed perfectly in order for it to work.” 

“So what’s the plan?” 

“Kaldur has to kill me.” 

Dick has to bite back the immediate ‘no’ that tries to come out. He has to take a moment to collect himself. Artemis doesn’t mean it literally. This is a plan to get her undercover, he reminds himself. “Why?” 

“My dad is one of those guys: an enforcer. He trained in the League of Shadows, but he works as an enforcer for the Light. He made  _ sure _ to let me and Jade know exactly what it would take to be accepted. And these guys respect bonds of blood. Kaldur is already halfway there, a familial bond to one of the Light. But now he needs to kill for them.” 

Dick blinks. “But.. he kind of has? He left the bomb on Malina Island. All those Kroloteans died there.” 

Artemis shakes her head. “No. It wouldn’t have worked or been enough. First off, from what you told me, he didn’t even set the bomb and he warned everyone away. There’s no proof that he helped, but all the heroes managed to escape. And also, to put it bluntly, the Kroloteans are aliens. They mean nothing to the Light. A means to an end.” Dick’s stomach twists. The League took the death of those Kroloteans personally, a slight against their abilities. Dick knows the Light doesn’t care, but hearing it is so much worse. “If Kaldur kills a human, and a former teammate, they won’t question his loyalty.” 

“How do you know that?” Dick asks. If there’s one thing he’s learned over the years, one can’t pretend to know the enemy. 

She stares at him for a moment. “Because no one else knows… everyone has to believe that Kaldur killed me. No one but us four can know the truth. If it works… everyone will hate him. Kaldur won’t be able to come back. He’ll be dependent on his father for connections. They’ll trust him then.” 

Dick hates it, but it makes sense. He hates that it makes sense. “How would it happen?” he asks. He hates himself that he’s considering this as a solution. “How would Kaldur… kill you?”

“I don’t know the logistics exactly, but I do know about Cape Canaveral.” 

Dick sighs, rubbing his eyes. “Of course you do.” He hasn’t told anyone about that op yet, only going so far to create his roster of who’s going, but not informing them yet. “How do you know about Cape Canaveral?” He looks at her and she’s smiling. He feels like he’s aged ten years. “I just told you, didn’t I?” 

She pats his cheek. “It’s okay. I was just speculating. The Mars-Earth Comstat is big news and I’ve heard Godfrey wailing about it. I know the League wants to include Martians in planetary defenses. It would make sense that they’d want to protect it.” 

Dick sighs. “Yeah. The League wanted to control it, but I offered my team because we have M’gann and her bioship. It’ll be easier to stay unnoticed.” He pauses. She gives him a Look, one that says she knows he’s holding back. “And Kaldur has informed me that Manta is planning to destroy the comstat for the Light.” 

“Would you be able to communicate with Kaldur beforehand? So we can execute something?” 

Dick nods. “Yeah. He’s due for a check-in once before Cape Canaveral. So I can better coordinate my own team.” 

“Good. And I do want to train before, but I think it would be better if people thought I was brought on sort of fresh. A ‘for old times’ sake’ kind of deal. We’ll train for everyone to see, but much lighter than what I’ll need. Because no one expects there to be an attack, right? This is just like playing security guard.” Dick nods in agreement. “So, train me for combat ‘just in case’ in front of everyone, but that’ll be it,” she suggests. 

Dick likes the sound of it, hating the idea less and less, but still hating that it has to be Artemis. Artemis is probably right, though. “You’ve been thinking about this for a long time, haven’t you?” 

Artemis shakes her head. “Not a long time. I just started this idea when you came around that night stressed out.”

Dick’s eyes widen. “Four days?”

She shrugs. “Sorry I don’t have more details.”

Dick laughs incredulously. He brings her hands to his mouth and kisses the backs. “No, Arty, that’s amazing. You’ve… if this works, you’ve solved our problem. My problem. In four days.” 

She blushes. “It’s nothing.” 

Dick shakes his head and leans forward, giving her a small kiss. “It’s incredible.” 

“It’s not. I don’t even know how I’m going to go undercover. If my dad is there, he’ll recognize me in a heartbeat.” 

“Leave that to me. I’ll leave it up to you to hash out the details of your death. I know you have some experience with death-simulating substances.” That’s something he knows Sportsmaster is proficient in. “And you already seem to have an idea of how you should act. But I’ll expect a report.” 

Artemis sighs dramatically. “The one thing I hate about field work.” 

Dick laughs, then sobers. “Do you want me to tell Wally?” 

“No, I’ll tell him. And I’ll make sure he knows it’s my idea.” 

“No,” Dick says. “Let him think it was my idea.”

“Trying to take credit for my plans?” she teases, but it doesn’t exactly hit a joking level. He knows she doesn’t think he’s trying to take credit for her work, but giving Dick the blame is clearly making her uncomfortable. 

Dick tries to smile, but it doesn’t feel right. His stomach feels heavy. “No. No, I’m not.” He tightens his hold on her hands. “Wally is going to be mad. Really mad. And this is something he’ll be angry about for a long time. I don’t want that to be hanging over you two when you’re undercover. Wally… will regret it.”

“Dick… then he’ll just be angry with you when I’m doing this.”

“I’ll manage,” Dick shrugs. “And we can tell him when it’s over, okay?” 

“Then he’ll just regret it then.”

“Yeah, after. Not when you’ve fought every day up to the day you go undercover and then he’s angry until about halfway through your assignment. And we don’t know how long it’ll take.” 

“I don’t like this.”

“I know. I don’t like it either,” Dick admits. “But I would rather have him angry at me. Just in case.” Artemis swallows hard. “It’s going to be dangerous out there. Really dangerous. No one will know but us four. Our friends, our colleagues, they will treat you like any other villain they come across. You could get really hurt.” 

“I know, but I can do it,” she says. “I can handle it.” Then her phone vibrates. She pulls it from her pocket and frowns at the screen. “It’s Wally.” She locks her phone screen, the device still buzzing. “I’m still angry with him.” 

Dick nods. “I understand, but you should tell him sooner rather than later.” 

Artemis nods and the phone starts buzzing again. “I know, but I’m still angry.” 

Dick sits quietly, expecting her to answer it, but she watches him until the phone stops vibrating. Then it starts up again a few minutes later. “Why is he calling so much?” 

“I should’ve been home three hours ago,” Artemis says. “He’s been texting me for a while now.” 

Dick curses, shooting to his feet and running to his room. He digs around the floor of his room and unearths his phone. Sure enough, there are a bunch of texts from Wally asking if he’s seen Artemis. Dick sighs, trudging back to the living room, phone in hand. He’s bad for keeping his personal phone on him, as most people he needs to contact, he can do through the comms. It’s gotten better since he’s started dating Wally and Artemis, but he’ll still leave the phone at home if he’s going out in costume. “He’s worried, Arty,” he tells her, waving his phone. She frowns. “If you won’t respond, I will.”

She huffs and crosses her arms. Dick rolls his eyes. For how much Artemis preaches communication, she’s pretty bad at doing it herself. “Do what you want.” 

“Okay. At least it’ll help establish that this was my idea,” he says. He opens up his messenger and starts typing:  _ Don’t worry Wally. She’s here with me. I had something I wanted to discuss with her. _

His phone vibrates a few seconds after he hits send. FROM WALLY:  _ Can you get her to call me? Does she have her phone? She isn’t at home!!! _

Dick sighs. “Just call him. He’s worried sick.” 

“I’m still mad at him.” 

“Artemis,” Dick says, sitting beside her and putting a hand on her thigh, “I don’t want you to be upset with him either. You’re always going on about communicating with each other. Talk to him. Explain why you’re upset.” 

She frowns. “You can’t use my words against me.”

“No, I can, because I know I”m right.” She smiles reluctantly, looking like she wants to continue to frown. He presses a brief kiss to her lips. “Don’t go into this mission upset with him. Please,” he pleads. 

“Is this my boyfriend or my leader asking?” 

Dick kisses her again. She smiles against his lips. “Please just talk to him?” 

She sighs and opens her phone. It’s not buzzing anymore, but Dick can picture Wally waiting impatiently for his phone to ring. She dials his number and presses the phone to her ear. It’s answered barely after the first ring and he can hear Wally talking too fast. He can’t make out the words, but Artemis cuts him off. “Relax, Wally. I’m fine. Just lost track of time talking with Dick.” She pauses, small smile on her face. “Yes, I’ll be home soon. Stop worrying.” Another pause. “Okay. I’ll get Dick to walk me to the zeta tube.” She chuckles. “I love you, too.” 

She exhales heavily when she hangs up, slumping into the couch. “It’s like being mad at a puppy.” 

Dick laughs. “He really is endearing.” 

“It’s exhausting.” She stands, showing her phone into her back pocket. “I have to go. Be a gentleman and walk a lady to the zeta tube for the peace of mind of our mutual boyfriend?” she asks, shrugging into her jacket. 

Dick snorts and nods. “When you put it like that, how can I say no?” 

She nods toward the door. “Well, come on. He’ll be counting the milliseconds.” 

Dick stands and offers his arm, which she takes with a laugh. He slips on a pair of sandals at the door, so they don’t have to pause too long, snatching his keys from the bowl by the door. Bruce and Alfred would cringe to see his attire. Dick would go so far to describe it as ‘hobo chic’ crossed with a bit of ‘exhausted teenager.’ 

The walk to the tube is nice. Short. They duck into an alleyway and there’s an old telephone booth, much like the zeta tube in Gotham City. Outside the tube, Dick gives Artemis a long, lingering kiss. She’s smiling when she gets into the tube. Dick waits until the zeta beams fade before taking a different route out of the alley and starts trying to think of ways to create Artemis’ disguise. Maybe something magic?

Maybe it’s time to call in a favor from Zatanna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always welcome!! 
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more real time updates! Or just to talk with me!
> 
> please let me know what you think! things are starting to get interesting *rubs palms together* but i bet now you can see how i integrate it back into the canon....


	9. Spitefire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Wally's an idiot, but we love him! there's no bashing going on here, even if it may look like it! 
> 
> Also, sorry for taking so long! I have a bunch of other stuff on the go and i am trying to get through this one quickly, but taking the time that this work deserves! if you've stuck around, you're amazing! 
> 
> hope you enjoy <3

[FEB 28, 2050 PST: PALO ALTO]

Artemis is surprised that Wally isn’t waiting for her the moment she steps out of the zeta tube. But because she doesn’t have to deal with Wally right away, she has a few minutes to herself before she gets back to their place. She tries not to let it bother her how close their home is to the zeta tube. Not that they need to live close to the tube for Wally to be at one in a couple of seconds, but it feels too close. Like maybe they were kidding themselves with this whole “retirement” thing. 

Trying not to think about the proximity of the zeta tube allows her to think about Kid Flash in Central City. She wonders if Wally will even mention it with how much he’s been avoiding the hero talk lately. At the start of their retirement, it wasn’t so bad, but the past few months, she can tell that Wally has put up a barrier between him and Dick: one that is firmly meant to keep out the hero stuff. Artemis wonders if it’s because they started dating because Wally was never like this before, and he’s one of the few people who knows about Kaldur, and therefore offers support to Dick when he fears that they did the wrong thing. 

She’s barely through the door to their apartment when she’s wrapped in a set of arms. It takes her a moment to identify the person, the scent being the biggest giveaway: citrus and pine. She doesn’t tense or return the hug, letting Wally hug her for as long as he needs. For as angry as she was earlier, she feels surprisingly neutral in this moment. “I was so worried,” Wally says, nose buried in her hair. “I came home and you weren’t here and you weren’t answering your phone, and you never just do something without–”

“I was in Blüdhaven,” she cuts him off, counting to five before extricating herself from his arms. She steps around him, removing her light jacket and tossing it on the couch. It’s a little heavy for California, but not for New York. Brucely raises his head when her jacket lands beside him. He sniffs at the jacket then holds up his head for pats. She smiles softly and gives him a couple of pets. Brucely’s eyes close and his tail wags happily. 

“For three hours?” Wally asks, drawing her attention back to him. 

She takes in his worried face and windswept hair, picturing him running around the neighborhood for a few minutes before trying to contact Dick. They have a few places close by where Artemis likes to hang out. Objectively, she can understand the worry. They may be retired, but they never really leave the life if there are still bad guys. It’s always worst-case scenario when you wear a cape. But knowing that doesn’t change what she has to tell him. “Dick said he wanted to talk to me,” she says, hating how easily the lie slips out of her. This would have been the perfect time to take ownership of the plan, but she’s a coward. “And I got bored so I went a little early,” she continues, lie as smooth as honey. “I walked around Blüdhaven for a bit.” She doesn’t mention that she was waiting around Blüdhaven for five hours. 

Wally doesn’t look happy. “You know Blüdhaven isn’t safe to walk around by yourself.” 

“Please,” she snorts. “Sure, it’s not the safest place, but I grew up in Gotham. I was fine.” Not that she walked around the city at all. No, once she saw the news, she went to Dick’s apartment and waited for him to come home. 

“Artemis–”

That’s enough. “Are we just going to talk about what I’ve done today?” she snaps at him, anger simmering now. Where does he come off acting all high and mighty? “Or are we going to talk about what you’ve done?”

Wally blinks at her and she hates it. “What I’ve done?” 

Artemis crosses her arms, fire in her throat. “Are you really going to pretend you haven’t done it?” Wally looks confused and it doesn’t help how Artemis feels. Artemis can feel her face twisting; she’s not sure with what, but it’s not neutral now. Then a light seems to go off in Wally’s mind. His eyes widen and he looks down. “So we’re going to pretend nothing happened?” 

“It wasn’t anything,” Wally says quickly. 

Anger flushes through her. She can feel her cheeks heating and she may be able to spit fire. “We’re _retired_ , Wally. _You’re_ the one who insisted on not going back into the field.” 

“I know.” 

His passivity isn’t helping her fury, although she isn’t sure what would happen if he fought back. _“You’re_ the one who wanted to retire!” 

“I know!” Wally yells back. “And I won’t be going back!” 

“Why?” Artemis asks, blood pumping, ready for a fight. “How do you know that when Dick has you on speed dial?!” 

“He has _you_ on speed dial, too!” 

Artemis wants to scream. “Not for this stuff!” she yells, throwing her arms out. She knows that’s not exactly true, but she knows, no matter her skills, she won’t ever be Dick’s first choice. He’s always going to put Wally first. She doesn’t hate Dick for that: him and Wally have a history that she will never have or completely understand, that is precious to both of them. If she’s mad at anyone, it would be Nightwing, the Team Leader, for not being objective, but that’s not the point right now. _Wally_ isn’t the person she should be having that conversation with. She takes a deep breath and rubs the bridge of her nose. “But that’s not the point,” she growls. “The _point_ is that you went back into the field, despite the _promise_ we made to each other. How can I trust that you won’t do it again when all it takes is a phone call?” 

Wally sighs, running his hands through his hair, agitated. “Can’t you just trust me?” 

Artemis takes a step back and crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re not giving me a reason to right now.” She hates that she can’t trust him right away, that she _feels_ like she can’t. But she knows, she _knows_ that she can’t trust him because it’s Dick who asked him. “How do you know you won’t do it again?”

Wally pulls himself back, jaw tensing. “Artemis–”

“Just tell me, Wally!” 

“Because I don’t belong out there!” 

Artemis blinks, silence falling between them, her anger paused. “What?” 

“I don’t!” Wally takes a deep breath. “I don’t belong out there. I’m… slow. And I just… I don’t belong.” He’s not yelling anymore, looking defeated. Artemis doesn’t know what to say. “We always… me and Barry… we always thought my speed would increase as I got older,” he says, staring at the floor. “I spend a lot of years believing that and took comfort when Barry had to slow down because I knew one day that he wouldn’t have to.” Wally pauses, taking a deep breath. “And then this kid shows up, Barry’s fucking grandson! He’s younger than I was when I started and he’s just as fast as Barry is now. He’s faster than me and he’s so young. Yes, I might have powers, but I don’t belong out there anymore.” 

“You know damn well that’s not true, Wally,” Artemis says.

Wally laughs mirthlessly. “It is true.” 

“Then why go back at all?” she asks, burning with anger again. “If you’ve felt this way, why bother going back at all?”

Tears fall from Wally’s eyes, face twisted like his next words will be painful. Artemis’ heart aches in sympathy. “Because I missed it.” 

Artemis jerks back, feeling like she’s been slapped. Any sympathy she felt is gone. “And you think I haven’t been missing it?” She wants to yell, to scream, to vent all the rage she feels inside, but her question sounds cold. 

“I never said that–” 

“But that’s what you mean,” Artemis accuses. “You think this retirement thing was easy for me, Wally?” There was a lot that influenced her, Wally being a small part, but her mother’s worry for her the biggest part. Wally suggesting it in front of her made her beg Artemis to consider it and it took a long time. 

Wally flounders. “I… I–uh…”

Artemis’ eyes widen. That question was half-rhetorical. “Did you?!” she asks, incredulous. 

“Yeah, I did! Okay?” he snaps. “Yes, I thought it would be easier for you!” 

Artemis’ jaw drops. “What the fuck, Wally?” 

Wally looks like he’s just realizing what he’s said and is desperate to backtrack. “Artemis…”

“What the _fuck,_ Wally?!” she shouts over him, finally able to scream. Wally flinches, mouth opening. She doesn’t want to hear what he has to say. “How could you _possibly_ think it would be easier for me!?”

“You don’t have powers!” he shouts back. He doesn’t sound angry, but desperate. His face is pale except for two high points of red on his cheeks. Artemis is stunned enough to not speak right away. “You don’t have powers all the time, tickling under your skin to just _run, run, run, run, run!_ So, yes! I thought you wouldn’t miss it!” 

Artemis doesn’t know if she can yell. It feels like she’s weighed down with too much offense to raise her voice. “You _think,”_ she says slowly, “that I wouldn’t miss the work because I don’t have _fucking_ powers?” Artemis is staring at Wally. He’s keeping his mouth shut. Good. Artemis doesn’t know what she would do if Wally agreed or tried to deny it, tried to defend himself. She takes a deep breath. “I have been _training_ since I could walk!” She can’t control her voice anymore. “My earliest memories are of me fighting with my sister! Under my dad’s instructions! This isn’t something I decided to do on a whim, Wally! I was _raised_ in this life! I’ve been in it longer than you have! Long before I joined the heroes!” 

“Artemis,” Wally tries, “I didn’t mean–”

She doesn’t want to hear it. She doesn’t want to hear him defend himself, justify anything that he’s said or done. Artemis feels cheated, lied to, betrayed. Objectively, this isn’t that bad, not really in the grand scheme of things, but this is _her life_. She’s missing her bow, her weapons, her comrades. It feels like she’s missing a part of herself, like a lost limb. The words come out before she can stop them: “I’ve accepted a mission from Dick.” 

There’s a heavy beat of silence, Wally staring at her with wide eyes. She can see the disbelief, the betrayal in his eyes, but she doesn’t feel bad. The air shifts between them, almost visibly, Wally taking on the air of betrayal and Artemis feeling lighter. Maybe she should feel bad, but for the first time in a long time, she feels _good:_ like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. Like she can face the world and everything that entails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always welcome!! 
> 
> Follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/_Thursday_26) for more real time updates! Or just to talk with me! Just be sure to tag me! Still not good at the whole twitter thing, but i'm trying <3
> 
> Hopefully future chapters will be longer <3


	10. Get Away With Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally confronts Dick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! this has been a long time coming, but i hope you enjoy it!
> 
> this chapter has wally being a real dick (no pun intended) and i hope no one hates him. I love wally, but this is part of the process. it'll get better im just sitting with the angst! also i guess this is showcasing more of my own beliefs and understandings of what i think went on in season 2!
> 
> enjoy!

[MAR 1, 0356 EST: BLÜDHAVEN]

Dick finally rouses, annoyed at the constant vibration of his cell phone on his nightstand. He unlocks his phone, pressing it to his ear without looking at who’s calling. “What?” he snaps. He knows he should probably be a little nicer, but if it had anything to do with his Team, they would use the comms.

_ “Wally’s on his way over.” _

“Artemis?” 

_ “He’s angry. We’ve been fighting since I got home.”  _

Dick sits up, putting his elbow on his knee and rubbing his eyes. “So you’re passing him off to me?” It’s supposed to be a joke, but it definitely misses the mark. 

_ “Dick–” _

“I know. I’m just,” he sighs, pulling the phone from his ear and squinting at the screen. “It’s four in the morning. I’m sorry.” 

_ “No, I’m sorry. This feels right, Dick and I wouldn’t budge.” _ She pauses.  _ “He blames you.”  _

There’s loud, rapid knocking at his door. “That’s what we wanted.” He throws his blanket off and stands. The knocking at the door increases in speed. Dick sighs. “He’s here now. I’ll handle it. Thanks for the heads up, I guess.” Another joke that falls flat. He’s usually funnier than this. 

_ “I’m so sorry, Dick.”  _ She sounds sincere. 

“Get some sleep,” Dick says as he opens the door. He makes eye contact with Wally. “I’ll talk to you later, Artemis.” Wally glares at him, face slightly flushed and hair windswept. “Come on in.” He steps aside, hanging up his phone as he does so. 

Wally stalks in, brushing roughly past Dick. “So you’re talking to Artemis now?” he spits, pacing around Dick’s living room, looking anywhere but him.

Dick sighs, shutting the door. “She  _ is _ my girlfriend, Wally. I  _ am _ allowed to talk to her.” He flops onto the couch, trying to convey an air of nonchalance. “Nice to see you. Even though it’s so late. Early.” 

“Don’t you fucking start with me, Dick,” Wally snaps, focusing his attention on Dick and stopping in place. There’s a fair bit of distance between them. “You know exactly why I’m here.” 

“Yeah, I know why you’re here. I’m trying to let you yell at me for a bit so you get it out of your system and then we can talk about what’s really bothering you.” 

Wally doesn’t seem to appreciate that comment. Dick doesn’t blame him, but he was woken up from a deep sleep less than five minutes ago. He’s not at his best right now. “Fuck off, Dick,” Wally spits. “How could you?” 

“How could I what, Wally?” Dick asks, sitting up and arranging himself so he can fight if he needs to. Wally isn’t naturally violent, but he is a hot-head and impulsive and Dick can be really antagonizing. It wouldn’t surprise him if someone threw a punch. “Because you seem to be angry at more than me asking Artemis to go back into the field.” 

“I’m angry because you put the mission over our relationship!”

Dick bristles.  _ He  _ may be the first one to throw the punch. How could he forget that he’s a hot-head, too? “Which relationship?” he asks. “Mine and yours? You don’t own Artemis, Wally. She belongs out in the field.” 

“That’s not for you to decide!” 

Dick shoots to his feet. “It’s not for  _ you _ to decide, either!” 

Wally jerks back, but his anger stays at the same level. “What are you trying to say, Dick?” 

“You can’t waltz in here like you know what’s best for Artemis, Wally!” Dick yells. “She’s a grown woman! She can make her own decisions!” 

Wally scoffs. “Like you’re any better.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It’s not like you didn’t manipulate her back into the field because that’s what  _ you _ want.”

Dick swallows, the jab hitting him straight in the heart. He has to take a moment, reminding himself that this is what he wanted. Not exactly this, but Wally’s anger directed at him. He’s the lightning rod here, he volunteered for this. “I know you’re upset, Wally. But you’re out of line.” 

“Am I?!” Wally shouts. “It looks suspicious that you send me into the field the same day you want to talk to Artemis about something, knowing full well that she’ll be upset with me the moment she finds out and she’ll want to go out in spite of me.” Dick blinks at him, mouth falling open. “I can’t believe you would put the mission above your relationship with us.” 

Dick doesn’t know where to start with that. Maybe the last thing first. “So you’re breaking up with me?” Wally’s jaw tenses and he stands up straight, a defiant gleam in his eye. Dick resists the urge to roll his eyes. “So you’re going to break up with me… for what? For asking for your help? For giving Artemis the  _ choice _ to go back into the field?”

“Please, Dick,” Wally rolls his eyes. “This whole situation reeks of bat-manipulation from start to finish. Was the whole relationship just a ploy?” 

_ “What?!” _

“Did you just start dating me, dating Artemis, to undermine our relationship? To undermine our plan to settle down? To be normal?” 

Dick’s heart squeezes in his chest. It’s been so long since he’s fought with Wally, he forgot how much Wally knows how to hurt with just his words. He feels his face harden.  _ “You _ came to me, Wally. Remember that.” Wally’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t back down. Dick didn’t expect him to. “That’s  _ not _ what this is about. Don’t insult me, Wally. I care deeply for both of you. Don’t you  _ dare _ insinuate that I would use either of you to further the mission.” Dick takes a deep breath. “You’re hurt and lashing out, but be careful what you say before you say something you can’t take back.” Wally has the decency to look ashamed. “And don’t insult  _ yourself _ , either. I did  _ not _ force you back into your Kid Flash suit. You’re a big boy, you put that on all on your own.” 

Wally scoffs again. “You know I can’t sit by when I could help.” Dick gives Wally a look. He’s been doing just that for a lot of his retirement. Wally seems to pick up on that. “Barry was out there. All he had was that  _ kid–” _

“Wally,” Dick says firmly. Wally’s mouth clicks shut. “I sent you to support Barry with Impulse. I had no idea that Barry would get called to action. I  _ know _ you want to stay out of the field. I respect that. You’re a grown man, Wally. You made the decision to help Barry with Neutron  _ yourself.” _

“How do I know–”

“What?” Dick cuts him off, exasperated. “That I didn’t release a supervillain into Central City the day a time traveller  _ happened _ to drop into the cave? C’mon Wally, not even  _ Batman _ is that good. Can we at least agree on that?” 

Wally looks around the room for a bit, biting his lip, obviously not wanting to agree but unable to come up with a reason why. “Fine.” The word sounds he had to drag it from the most reluctant part of him. 

“So why are you so upset, Wally? Why are you breaking down my door at four AM after you’ve been fighting with our girlfriend for a few hours?”

That seems to reignite some flame in Wally’s eyes. “For talking to Artemis behind my back.”

_ “Behind your back?!” _

_ “ _ **_Behind_ ** _ my back! _ You  _ knew _ I would be upset and you snuck behind my back to get her back out there! Despite our wish to stay out!”

Dick hates that he can feel himself starting to get angry, but it’s so hard not to respond to Wally in kind. They’re both really good at working each other up. And Dick is a bit of a hot-head. Some would call him passionate, but Dick knows better. “We didn’t hide anything from you, Wally! She told you as soon as she got home that she accepted this mission and I haven’t once tried to deny it! How is that going behind your back?” 

“Because you had this meeting behind my back,” Wally growls. 

Dick has to take a step back, not believing his ears. “I have to get your  _ permission _ to schedule a meeting with Artemis?” he asks incredulously. 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“No, that’s exactly what you said, Wally!” Dick takes a couple of steps away from Wally, eyes wide. “That’s wrong and you know it.” Wally opens his mouth, but Dick doesn’t want to give him a chance to dig this hole any deeper. It’s already like Dick is seeing someone different standing in front of him. “You can’t control who she sees and doesn’t see. You’re not her father, not her keeper, hell, it doesn’t even matter because she’s an  _ adult. _ She can decide who she does and doesn’t talk to.” 

“I’m not trying to control her,” Wally protests.

“But you are!” Dick snaps. “Can’t you see it? I didn’t force her into the field. She accepted the mission herself. I have other options–” he doesn’t, but that’s neither here nor there “–but Artemis was the best. I  _ asked _ because the worst she could tell me was no.” 

“No! The worst she could have said was yes!”

“You’re still trying to control her, Wally! Do you not trust her? Do you not trust  _ me?” _

“You know I trust you–”

“Do I?! Because you’re making a bigger deal out of this than you should.” 

Wally comes in close, his nose almost touching Dick’s, and starts whispering harshly, “You’re sending her in with  _ Kaldur _ , Dick! So far undercover that she’s literally going to be hundreds of miles below sea level. How could you two just  _ do that _ to me?” 

“Now it’s both our faults? What did we do to you, Wally?” 

“You know exactly what you did!” 

“We’re going in circles, Wally. I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this.” Dick takes a step back, needing to get some space between him and Wally. It’s only working him up. Wally stays in place, watching Dick. “Yes, I get that this is shocking and you’re allowed to be angry about that, but there’s something more here. Something else that is making you crazy. What is it?” 

“I’ve already told you!” Dick is surprised that Wally doesn’t stomp his foot. 

Dick glares at him. “I wanted to give you the chance to change your answer from: ‘I’m upset because I don’t get the final say in my girlfriend’s decision’.” 

Wally’s jaw drops. “I did  _ not–” _

“Then how would you put it, Wally?” Dick asks. Wally opens his mouth and Dick holds up his hands. “And  _ don’t _ say because we went behind your back.”

Wally exhales through his nose like an angry bull. “You’re putting her in danger, without any consideration for how that’s going to affect those who care for her. Like me. Like her mom.”

“You’re scared,” Dick realizes.

“Of course I’m scared!” Wally snaps. 

“Then  _ say _ you’re scared! Don’t try and pull this betrayed lover bullshit and act like you have some sort of authority over your girlfriend and what she does. Did you even tell her that you’re scared or did you just yell at her for making this decision without consulting you first?”

“I have been saying that!” 

“No, you haven’t! You’ve been yelling and whining that this wasn’t  _ your _ decision to make! But guess what, Wally? It’s  _ never _ been your decision to make!” 

Wally looks offended. “How could you–”

“Are you even listening to what you’re saying?! Think about what you’re saying and imagine it’s me saying it! Or anyone else! You’re talking like you own Artemis!” Dick’s voice cracks at the end. Wally has such a dense head sometimes. 

“No, I’m–” Wally cuts himself off, eyebrows furrowing. “No.” He paces a bit. “That’s not… you know I’m not like that, Dick.” 

“Do I?” 

“Yes! You know me, Dick!” Wally yells. “You’re my best friend! I’m  _ not like that.” _

Dick shakes his head. “I want to believe that, but all I can think about is this retirement thing.” 

Wally pulls back, eyes wide. “What about it?” 

“You’ve always said stuff like ‘our’ retirement plan, but now I’m wondering if Artemis ever had a say–”

“We came to that conclusion  _ together,” _ Wally interrupts. 

‘Did you?” Dick hates that he’s thinking like this. “Or did she go along with it?” 

“Now  _ you’re _ out of line,” Wally growls. 

Dick scoffs. “Am I? I mean she was  _ so eager _ to get back into the field, it makes me question if she wanted retirement in the first place.” Why is he saying this?

“Now you’re  _ really _ out of line.” 

“Am I? Am I really? Because if it was something you  _ both _ agreed on, you wouldn’t be so betrayed when she changed her mind. She wouldn’t have been so worried to tell you. And she wouldn’t have been so betrayed when she saw you in the KF colors.” 

“How does that make sense?” Wally asks, throwing his hands into the air. “She broke a promise we  _ both _ made!” 

Dick glares at him. “You broke that same promise just as easily as she did. Hell, even easier. No one  _ asked _ you back into the field, you did that  _ yourself _ , despite this ‘promise’ you made with her.” 

“That’s different.” 

Dick’s eyes widen. “Is it?” he screeches. “Wally, you two are partners! You can’t hold her to a higher standard than you would yourself!” 

“I’m not–”

“You  _ are!” _

“I’m not, Dick!” 

“You are, Wally! Get some objectivity! She’s your girlfriend! Not your ward! You should be giving her support!” 

Wally gapes. “Support? You want me to support a decision that most likely is going to get her  _ killed?!” _

It’s Dick’s turn to get into Wally’s face. Wally doesn’t seem to be expecting the move, jerking his head back but keeping his feet in place. “Yes! Yes, Wally!  _ Especially  _ if this might get her killed!” Wally looks dumbstruck. Dick takes a moment to breathe, needing to calm down. “She’s scared, Wally.” 

“Artemis isn’t scared of anything.” 

Dick almost laughs. “Everyone is scared of something. And Artemis, despite  _ wanting  _ to get back out there, is scared. She  _ needs _ support. Our support. So stop being angry… for her own good. Because getting angry  _ is not helping.” _

Wally stares at him for a few moments, bristling. “Fuck you, Dick.” 

Dick reels back, not expecting the level of vitriol in Wally’s voice. Wally shoves past him, bumping their shoulders as he passes. Dick stumbles. “What?!” 

Wally stalks to the door, turning only when he has a hand on the knob. “Fuck you for doing this.” 

Dick rushes over and grabs onto Wally’s arm, keeping him in place. He knows that he can’t let Wally leave right now because there’s no way to come back from this. Wally doesn’t shrug him off. “I get that you’re mad, Wally, but be mad with me.” Dick needs Wally’s anger to only be directed at him. Sure, this might ruin their relationship, but this is what he needs. Wally opens his mouth to speak, but Dick talks faster,  _ “Don’t _ be mad at Artemis. I know you hate it, but give her your support. She needs it.” He pauses. “She would appreciate it.” 

Wally closes his mouth and stares Dick down. Dick knows he’s trying to think of something to say, most likely something cutting. “She would have gone back into the field regardless, Wally. This is what she wants to do, and I’m not going to stop her.” Wally wrenches his arm out of Dick’s hold and walks off without another word. Dick doesn’t try to stop him this time, watching Wally’s back until he disappears around the corner. 

Dick sighs and shuts the door, locking it. He stares at the closed door for a couple of seconds, allowing himself a few moments of grief. Wally never actually said they were done, but this feels final. He spends another couple of moments trying to understand how he got to this point. His heart hurts, but he can’t focus on it for too long. Right now, he can’t let his emotions cloud his duty as Leader to send Artemis into the field. He sighs heavily and trudges back into the main room of the apartment, grabbing his cell phone. He dials the last number that called him.  _ “Dick?” _ Artemis answers. 

Dick sighs, sinking into his couch. “I knew you’d be up still.”

_ “Is everything okay?”  _

“For the most part,” Dick lies, letting his head fall back and closing his eyes. “He’s gone. Probably coming home. But he’s still really upset so he might be doing a couple of laps… somewhere.” 

_ “How upset?” _

“Pretty upset? I said some things…”

_ “Dick.” _

“I meant them. They needed to be said,” Dick says firmly. He won’t back down on that. 

_ “Dick… I’m… I’m sorry.” _

Dick shakes his head. “His reaction is not your fault or your responsibility, Artemis. He’s a big boy and he needs to use his big boy brain to think about why he’s reacting this way.”

There’s a chuckle over the line.  _ “I’m still sorry, Dick. I shouldn’t… I should not have let you take the fall for this. I know how much Wally means to you… and I can only imagine how much this is hurting you.”  _

Dick swallows heavily. “I knew what I was getting into when I told you to blame me. It does hurt, but I’ll manage.” 

_ “You don’t have to manage alone, Dick. I’m here for you.” _

“I know, Arty,” Dick whispers. “Thank you.” 

There’s a couple of moments of silence between them. He thinks they both know he won’t share anything he’s feeling and he’s half-certain Artemis is trying to think of the best way to get him to talk.  _ “Are you going to tell me what you said?” _

“No, not yet. I’ll give Wally a chance to talk about it first. I don’t want him to think we’re ganging up on him.”

Artemis sighs.  _ “I get that. How long do we have to give him? We don’t have a ton of time before I have to go.”  _

“Let’s give it a week,” Dick suggests. “Maybe he can stand to look me in the face then.” 

_ “He’s that upset?” _

“Like I said,” Dick chuckles, “I said some things. He was not happy to hear them.”

_ “Should I be mad, too?” _

Dick shrugs. “Maybe, but I don’t know if you’ll be mad at me–”

_ “Or at him,” _ Artemis finishes. She takes another deep breath.  _ “What did he do wrong?” _

“No, Arty. We’re not talking about him like that. Give him a chance to speak for himself, okay? We’ll meet up, all three of us, to talk, okay? It’s not right that we split this up when it involves every one of us.” 

_ “Okay, yeah.” _ There’s a noise over the line.  _ “Wally just got home. I should probably hang up if we have any chance of getting any sleep tonight.”  _

“Probably. I guess it’s early enough for me to get up. Get some rest, Arty. Keep me posted.” 

_ “Sorry, Dick. I’ll talk to you later.” _

“Take care, Arty.” He hands up and sighs again, leaning his head back and balancing his phone on his forehead. This whole situation is a mess right now, but if Artemis can go undercover without Wally being mad at her, it’ll all be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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